EDDARD
艾德
Eddard Stark rode through the towering
bronze doors of the Red Keep sore, tired, hungry, and irritable. He was still
ahorse, dreaming of a long hot soak, a roast fowl, and a featherbed, when the
king’s steward told him that Grand Maester Pycelle had convened an urgent
meeting of the small council. The honor of the Hand’s presence was requested as
soon as it was convenient. “It will be convenient on the morrow,” Ned snapped
as he dismounted.
艾德·史塔克浑身酸痛，又累又饿，心情恶劣地骑马穿过红堡高耸的青铜大门。御前总管前来通知他派席尔大学士召开紧急的御前会议，希望新任首相方便的话能大驾光临时，他人还在马背上，心里只想好好泡个热水澡，来只烤鸡或烤鸭，然后在羽毛床上睡个觉。“方便的话，改成明天。”奈德下马时没好气地说。
The steward bowed very low. “I shall give
the councillors your regrets, my lord.”
总管恭敬地一躬到底。“首相大人，那我就转告重臣们，您不便出席。”
“No, damn it,” Ned
said. It would not do to offend the council before he had even begun. “I will
see them. Pray give me a few moments to change into something more
presentable.”
“算了，该死的。”奈德道。还没上任便先把朝廷重臣给全得罪光那怎么成。“我这就去见他们。但请先给我几分钟，容我换上比较正式的服装。”
“Yes, my lord,”
the steward said. “We have given you Lord Arryn’s former chambers in the Tower
of the Hand, if it please you. I shall have your things taken there.”
“是的，大人。”总管说，“我们已经把艾林大人以前在首相塔的房间都给您准备好了，如您愿意，我这就差人把您的东西给送过去。”
“My thanks,” Ned
said as he ripped off his riding gloves and tucked them into his belt. The rest
of his household was coming through the gate behind him. Ned saw Vayon Poole,
his own steward, and called out. “It seems the council has urgent need of me.
See that my daughters find their bedchambers, and tell Jory to keep them there.
Arya is not to go exploring.” Poole bowed. Ned turned back to the royal
steward. “My wagons are still straggling through the city. I shall need
appropriate garments.”
“有劳了。”奈德边说边扯下骑马戴的手套，塞进腰带。身后，他的家人和臣属正陆续进入大门。奈德看到管家维扬·普尔，便叫住他，“看来宫里好像有急事找我。好好安顿我女儿，告诉乔里叫她们待在房里。不准艾莉亚到处乱跑。”普尔欠身。奈德转身对御前总管说：“我的马车还在城里半路上。我需要合适的衣服。”
“It will be my
great pleasure,” the steward said.
“为您服务是我莫大的荣幸。”总管道。
And so Ned had come striding into the
council chambers, bone-tired and dressed in borrowed clothing, to find four
members of the small council waiting for him.
于是，筋疲力尽的奈德，就这么穿着借来的衣服，大步走进议事厅，发现四名重臣正在等他。
The chamber was richly furnished. Myrish
carpets covered the floor instead of rushes, and in one corner a hundred
fabulous beasts cavorted in bright paints on a carved screen from the Summer
Isles. The walls were hung with tapestries from Norvos and Qohor and Lys, and a
pair of Valyrian sphinxes flanked the door, eyes of polished garnet smoldering
in black marble faces.
议事厅的陈设极为华丽。地板上铺的是密尔地毯，而非灯芯草席。房间一角摆着一幅来自盛夏群岛的木屏风，上面雕刻有上百种栩栩如生、色彩斑斓的珍禽异兽。墙壁上则挂满了诺佛斯、科霍尔和里斯产的精美织锦。门两侧是一对瓦雷利亚的狮身人面兽雕像，圆润的红榴石双眼在黑色大理石的脸上显得炯炯有神。
The councillor Ned liked least, the eunuch
Varys, accosted him the moment he entered. “Lord Stark, I was grievous sad to
hear about your troubles on the kingsroad. We have all been visiting the sept
to light candles for Prince Joffrey. I pray for his recovery.” His hand left
powder stains on Ned’s sleeve, and he smelled as foul and sweet as flowers on a
grave.
奈德前脚刚踏进房间，几位重臣中他最嫌恶的太监瓦里斯便靠了过来。“史塔克大人，我听说了您在国王大道上遇到的麻烦事儿，真令人遗憾哪。我们都去圣堂为乔佛里王子点了蜡烛，祈祷他早日康复。”他的手在奈德袖子上留下脂粉的痕迹。他浑身散发出腐败的甜腻气息，闻起来活像生在坟墓上的花。
“Your gods have
heard you,” Ned replied, cool yet polite. “The prince grows stronger every
day.” He disentangled himself from the eunuch’s grip and crossed the room to
where Lord Renly stood by the screen, talking quietly with a short man who
could only be Littlefinger. Renly had been a boy of eight when Robert won the
throne, but he had grown into a man so like his brother that Ned found it
disconcerting. Whenever he saw him, it was as if the years had slipped away and
Robert stood before him, fresh from his victory on the Trident.
“你的神想必听到了你的祷告，”奈德冷淡而有礼地回答，“王子的健康状况已日渐好转。”他从太监掌中抽出手，穿过房间朝蓝礼公爵走去。蓝礼正站在屏风旁，小声地和一名矮个男子交谈，那人必是小指头无疑。劳勃刚夺下王位时，蓝礼不过是个七岁小男生，如今他已长大成人，神貌酷似乃兄，奈德为此觉得极不自在。每次见到他，都仿佛时光倒流，看到那个英气勃发，甫从三叉戟河得胜归来的劳勃站在面前。
“I see you have
arrived safely, Lord Stark,” Renly said.
“史塔克大人，看来您安然抵达了。”蓝礼道。
“And you as well,”
Ned replied. “You must forgive me, but sometimes you look the very image of
your brother Robert.”
“您不也是。”奈德回答，“恕我直言，有时候您和您哥哥劳勃真像一个模子打出来的。”
“A poor copy,”
Renly said with a shrug.
“我哪比得上他。”蓝礼耸耸肩。
“Though much
better dressed,” Littlefinger quipped. “Lord Renly spends more on clothing than
half the ladies of the court.”
“您至少穿得比他好。”小指头俏皮地说，“蓝礼大人花在衣服上的钱，宫里的夫人太太恐怕都没几个比得上。”
It was true enough. Lord Renly was in dark
green velvet, with a dozen golden stags embroidered on his doublet. A
cloth-of-gold half cape was draped casually across one shoulder, fastened with
an emerald brooch. “There are worse crimes,” Renly said with a laugh. “The way
you dress, for one.”
此话倒是不假。蓝礼公爵穿着暗绿天鹅绒紧身衣，上面绣了十二头金色雄鹿。一边肩头潇洒地垂着织金半披风，用一枚翡翠胸针别起。“这应该算不上滔天大罪。”蓝礼笑道，“瞧瞧你穿的什么德行，那才失礼。”
Littlefinger ignored the jibe. He eyed Ned
with a smile on his lips that bordered on insolence. “I have hoped to meet you
for some years, Lord Stark. No doubt Lady Catelyn has mentioned me to you.”
小指头不理会他的嘲笑。他嘴角挂着近乎轻慢的微笑看着奈德。“史塔克大人，这些年来我一直想见见您。我想凯特琳夫人应该向您提起过我吧？”
“She has,” Ned
replied with a chill in his voice. The sly arrogance of the comment rankled
him. “I understand you knew my brother Brandon as well.”
“她是提过。”奈德冷冷地答道。对方这句傲慢中带着促狭的话惹恼了他。“如果我没记错的话，你也认识我哥哥布兰登。”
Renly Baratheon laughed. Varys shuffled
over to listen.
蓝礼·拜拉席恩哈哈大笑。瓦里斯则曳步凑来。
“Rather too well,”
Littlefinger said. “I still carry a token of his esteem. Did Brandon speak of
me too?”
“我跟他很熟。”小指头道，“至今身上都还留着他的纪念。布兰登也提起过我？”
“Often, and with
some heat,” Ned said, hoping that would end it. He had no patience with this
game they played, this dueling with words.
“常提起你，多半是火冒三丈的时候。”奈德说，心中希望就此结束这个话题。他对这类文字游戏素无兴趣。
“I should have
thought that heat ill suits you Starks,” Littlefinger said. “Here in the south,
they say you are all made of ice, and melt when you ride below the Neck.”
“我还以为你们史塔克家的人没那么大火气，”小指头说，“在我们南方，大家都说你们是冰做的，一过颈泽便要融化。”
“I do not plan on
melting soon, Lord Baelish. You may count on it.” Ned moved to the council
table and said, “Maester Pycelle, I trust you are well.”
“贝里席大人，您大可放心，我并不打算太快融化。”奈德朝会议桌移去。“派席尔师傅，我瞧您身体还很硬朗。”
The Grand Maester smiled gently from his
tall chair at the foot of the table. “Well enough for a man of my years, my
lord,” he replied, “yet I do tire easily, I fear.” Wispy strands of white hair
fringed the broad bald dome of his forehead above a kindly face. His maester’s
collar was no simple metal choker such as Luwin wore, but two dozen heavy
chains wound together into a ponderous metal necklace that covered him from
throat to breast. The links were forged of every metal known to man: black iron
and red gold, bright copper and dull lead, steel and tin and pale silver, brass
and bronze and platinum. Garnets and amethysts and black pearls adorned the
metalwork, and here and there an emerald or ruby. “Perhaps we might begin
soon,” the Grand Maester said, hands knitting together atop his broad stomach.
“I fear I shall fall asleep if we wait much longer.”
大学士从他长桌尾端的长椅上抬头，露出微笑。“大人，以我这把年纪，有这样的身体很不错了。”他答道，“啊，只是容易疲劳。”他有张慈蔼的脸，几束白发垂挂在早已秃光的额头两边。他的学士项圈并非鲁温那种简单的金属制品，而是由二十四种金属片所串成的沉重项链，从喉头一直垂到胸膛。锁链用人类所知的每一种金属打造而成：黑铁和红金，发亮红铜和沉重的铅，精钢、锡和黯淡的白银，黄铜、青铜与白金。石榴石、紫水晶和黑珍珠装饰着金属链，翡翠和红宝石点缀其间。“我们不妨开始罢。”大学士把手放在大肚子上反复揉搓，“再等下去，只怕我就要睡着了。”
“As you will.” The
king’s seat sat empty at the head of the table, the crowned stag of Baratheon
embroidered in gold thread on its pillows. Ned took the chair beside it, as the
right hand of his king. “My lords,” he said formally, “I am sorry to have kept
you waiting.”
“如您所愿，”国王在会议桌的首位空着，那椅子靠背上用金线绣着拜拉席恩家族的宝冠雄鹿。奈德拣了国王右边，象征国王右手的位子坐下。“诸位大人，”他正色道，“很抱歉让大家久等。”
“You are the
King’s Hand,” Varys said. “We serve at your pleasure, Lord Stark.”
“史塔克大人，您是国王的首相，”瓦里斯道，“为您效劳就是我们职责所在。”
As the others took their accustomed seats,
it struck Eddard Stark forcefully that he did not belong here, in this room,
with these men. He remembered what Robert had told him in the crypts below
Winterfell. I am surrounded by flatterers and fools, the king had insisted. Ned
looked down the council table and wondered which were the flatterers and which
the fools. He thought he knew already. “We are but five,” he pointed out.
眼看其他人纷纷在自己固有的座位落坐，艾德·史塔克才猛然惊觉此时此地自己是多么格格不入。他忆起劳勃在临冬城墓窖里对他说过的话，我身边净是些白痴和马屁精。奈德朝会议桌看去，暗自揣测哪些是白痴，哪些又是马屁精。答案他已了然于心。“我们只有五人。”他指出。
“Lord Stannis took
himself to Dragonstone not long after the king went north,” Varys said, “and
our gallant Ser Barristan no doubt rides beside the king as he makes his way
through the city, as befits the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.”
“国王北行之后没多久，史坦尼斯大人便回了龙石岛。”瓦里斯道，“至于我们英勇的巴利斯坦爵士，此刻无疑正随侍国王身边，护送他穿过城市罢。身为御林铁卫队长，这是他职责所在呢。”
“Perhaps we had
best wait for Ser Barristan and the king to join us,” Ned suggested.
“或许我们该等巴利斯坦爵士和陛下加入之后再开始。”奈德提议。
Renly Baratheon laughed aloud. “If we wait
for my brother to grace us with his royal presence, it could be a long sit.”
蓝礼·拜拉席恩朗声笑道：“要等我老哥赏脸，那不知到何年何月啰。”
“Our good King
Robert has many cares,” Varys said. “He entrusts some small matters to us, to
lighten his load.”
“我们亲爱的劳勃国王有太多事情需要操心，”瓦里斯说，“所以便将鸡毛蒜皮小事交给我们，以减轻负担。”
“What Lord Varys
means is that all this business of coin and crops and justice bores my royal
brother to tears,” Lord Renly said, “so it falls to us to govern the realm. He
does send us a command from time to time.” He drew a tightly rolled paper from
his sleeve and laid it on the table. “This morning he commanded me to ride
ahead with all haste and ask Grand Maester Pycelle to convene this council at
once. He has an urgent task for us.”
“瓦里斯大人的意思是说，凡是牵涉财政、农获和律法的事务，我王兄听了就头痛。”蓝礼公爵道，“所以管理国家就落到我们头上了。他倒是不忘记时不时交代些什么下来。”他从袖子里抽出一张裹紧的纸放在桌上。“比如今天早上，他吩咐我提前全速进城，请派席尔大学士立刻召开这次会议。他有项紧急差事交给我们办。”
Littlefinger smiled and handed the paper to
Ned. It bore the royal seal. Ned broke the wax with his thumb and flattened the
letter to consider the king’s urgent command, reading the words with mounting
disbelief. Was there no end to Robert’s folly? And to do this in his name, that
was salt in the wound. “Gods be good,” he swore.
小指头微笑着将信笺交给奈德，上面盖了王家印信。奈德用拇指揭开蜡印，摊平信纸，想看看国王的紧急命令究竟是什么。他越读越难以置信，劳勃到底要胡闹到什么地步才罢休？还是以他的名义，这简直是雪上加霜。“天杀的，”他不禁咒道。
“What Lord Eddard
means to say,” Lord Renly announced, “is that His Grace instructs us to stage a
great tournament in honor of his appointment as the Hand of the King.”
“奈德大人的意思是说，”蓝礼公爵宣布，“国王陛下指示我们举办一次盛大的比武竞技，以庆祝新首相上任。”
“How much?” asked
Littlefinger, mildly.
“要花多少钱？”小指头兴趣索然地问。
Ned read the answer off the letter. “Forty
thousand golden dragons to the champion. Twenty thousand to the man who comes
second, another twenty to the winner of the melee, and ten thousand to the
victor of the archery competition.”
奈德从信上念出答案：“优胜者赏四万金龙币，居次者赏两万金龙币。团体近身战的优胜者也是两万，射箭优胜则是一万。”
“Ninety thousand
gold pieces,” Littlefinger sighed. “And we must not neglect the other costs.
Robert will want a prodigious feast. That means cooks, carpenters, serving
girls, singers, jugglers, fools?.?.?.?”
“一共九万金币。”小指头叹道，“还得加上其他开销。想也知道劳勃一定要大宴宾客。也就是说我们需要厨师、木匠、女侍、歌手、戏子伶人和杂耍傻子……”
“Fools we have in
plenty,” Lord Renly said.
“傻子我们倒是不愁找到。”蓝礼公爵说。
Grand Maester Pycelle looked to
Littlefinger and asked, “Will the treasury bear the expense?”
派席尔总师看着小指头问：“国库付得出这笔款子？”
“What treasury is
that?” Littlefinger replied with a twist of his mouth. “Spare me the
foolishness, Maester. You know as well as I that the treasury has been empty
for years. I shall have to borrow the money. No doubt the Lannisters will be
accommodating. We owe Lord Tywin some three million dragons at present, what
matter another hundred thousand?”
“哪来的国库？”小指头撇撇嘴，“大学士您就别装蒜了，你我都很清楚国库已经空了好多年。还不是得伸手借钱，想必兰尼斯特家会很乐意支援。反正咱们已经欠了泰温大人三百多万金龙，再借个几十万算什么？”
Ned was stunned. “Are you claiming that the
Crown is three million gold pieces in debt?”
奈德震惊无比。“你说王室负债高达‘三百万’金币？”
“The Crown is more
than six million gold pieces in debt, Lord Stark. The Lannisters are the
biggest part of it, but we have also borrowed from Lord Tyrell, the Iron Bank
of Braavos, and several Tyroshi trading cartels. Of late I’ve had to turn to
the Faith. The High Septon haggles worse than a Dornish fishmonger.”
“史塔克大人，此刻王室负债总额超过六百万。兰尼斯特家是最大的债主，但我们也向提利尔大人、布拉佛斯的铁金库，还有好些泰洛西商行借过款。最近我不得不另辟财源，把主意动到了教会头上，总主教大人讨价还价的本领之高，连多恩的鱼贩都比不上。”
Ned was aghast. “Aerys Targaryen left a
treasury flowing with gold. How could you let this happen?”
奈德简直错愕到无以复加。“伊里斯·坦格利安留下了堆积如山的金银财宝，你怎么会让它沦落到这步田地？”
Littlefinger gave a shrug. “The master of
coin finds the money. The king and the Hand spend it.”
小指头耸肩：“财政大臣只管找钱，花钱的是国王和首相。”
“I will not
believe that Jon Arryn allowed Robert to beggar the realm,” Ned said hotly.
“琼恩·艾林绝不会允许劳勃这样挥霍。”奈德忿忿地说。
Grand Maester Pycelle shook his great bald
head, his chains clinking softly. “Lord Arryn was a prudent man, but I fear
that His Grace does not always listen to wise counsel.”
派席尔总师摇摇他那颗光头，项链轻声作响。“艾林大人固然精打细算，但恐怕国王陛下不见得都听从睿智的谏言。”
“My royal brother
loves tournaments and feasts,” Renly Baratheon said, “and he loathes what he
calls ‘counting coppers.’ ”
“我王兄热爱比武竞技和山珍海味，”蓝礼·拜拉席恩道，“他最讨厌所谓的‘数铜板’。”
“I will speak with
His Grace,” Ned said. “This tourney is an extravagance the realm cannot
afford.”
“我会跟陛下谈谈，”奈德说，“这么铺张浪费的比赛，国家可负担不起。”
“Speak to him as
you will,” Lord Renly said, “we had still best make our plans.”
“跟他谈谈当然很好，”蓝礼公爵道，“不过我们还是先着手订个计划吧。”
“Another day,” Ned
said. Perhaps too sharply, from the looks they gave him. He would have to
remember that he was no longer in Winterfell, where only the king stood higher;
here, he was but first among equals. “Forgive me, my lords,” he said in a
softer tone. “I am tired. Let us call a halt for today and resume when we are fresher.”
He did not ask for their consent, but stood abruptly, nodded at them all, and
made for the door.
“改天再议。”奈德说。从他们的眼神看来，他的口气似乎太尖锐了点。要想治理，他就必须牢记，自己已不是临冬城万人之上的领主身份，在这里他不过是地位平等的重臣之首罢了。“诸位大人，请原谅我。”他改用较和缓的口气，“我实在是累了。我们今天就到此为止，等我精神好些时再继续。”说完他没有征求其他人同意，便突然站起身，朝在座的重臣一一点头后，径自离开。
Outside, wagons and riders were still
pouring through the castle gates, and the yard was a chaos of mud and
horseflesh and shouting men. The king had not yet arrived, he was told. Since
the ugliness on the Trident, the Starks and their household had ridden well
ahead of the main column, the better to separate themselves from the Lannisters
and the growing tension. Robert had hardly been seen; the talk was he was
traveling in the huge wheelhouse, drunk as often as not. If so, he might be hours
behind, but he would still be here too soon for Ned’s liking. He had only to
look at Sansa’s face to feel the rage twisting inside him once again. The last
fortnight of their journey had been a misery. Sansa blamed Arya and told her
that it should have been Nymeria who died. And Arya was lost after she heard
what had happened to her butcher’s boy. Sansa cried herself to sleep, Arya
brooded silently all day long, and Eddard Stark dreamed of a frozen hell
reserved for the Starks of Winterfell.
出到门外，只见马车和骑士依旧不断从城堡大门涌入，庭院里一片混乱，充斥着泥土、马臊味和叫喊不停的人声。有人告诉他国王还在路上。自三叉戟河的意外发生之后，史塔克家族和他们的部属便走在车队的最前面，远离兰尼斯特家族，避开两派逐渐升高的紧张气氛。劳勃几乎没有露面，据说他待在轮宫，成天喝得酩酊大醉。若真是如此，他应该还要几个小时才会出现，这已经比奈德期望的要早上许多了。如今他只消看看珊莎的脸，就觉得心中怒火又要升起。旅途的最后两周实在苦不堪言。珊莎责怪艾莉亚，说被杀的应该是娜梅莉亚。艾莉亚在得知屠夫学徒的死讯后就魂不守舍。珊莎每晚哭着入眠，艾莉亚一声不吭地独自忧伤，艾德·史塔克自己则梦见了一个专为临冬城史塔克家人准备的冰冻地狱。
He crossed the outer yard, passed under a
portcullis into the inner bailey, and was walking toward what he thought was
the Tower of the Hand when Littlefinger appeared in front of him. “You’re going
the wrong way, Stark. Come with me.”
他穿越外庭，走过闸门，进入内院，正朝他印象中首相塔的所在走去时，小指头突然出现在面前。“史塔克，你走错路了，跟我来。”
Hesitantly, Ned followed. Littlefinger led
him into a tower, down a stair, across a small sunken courtyard, and along a
deserted corridor where empty suits of armor stood sentinel along the walls.
They were relics of the Targaryens, black steel with dragon scales cresting
their helms, now dusty and forgotten. “This is not the way to my chambers,” Ned
said.
奈德犹豫不决地跟着他，小指头带他进入一座塔，下了一道蜿蜒的阶梯，穿越一个凹陷的小庭院，沿着荒废的回廊行走。两旁墙壁，一副副无人使用的铠甲好似站立的卫兵。他们是坦格利安家族遗留下来的历史陈迹，黑色精钢打造，头盔镶着龙鳞，但如今积满灰尘，早已被人遗忘。“这不是通往我居室的路。”奈德道。
“Did I say it was?
I’m leading you to the dungeons to slit your throat and seal your corpse up
behind a wall,” Littlefinger replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “We have
no time for this, Stark. Your wife awaits.”
“我说过是吗？我正打算把你引进地牢，割了喉咙，再把你的尸体封进墙里。”小指头语带讥讽。“史塔克，我们没时间废话，尊夫人正等着你。”
“What game are you
playing, Littlefinger? Catelyn is at Winterfell, hundreds of leagues from
here.”
“小指头，你到底耍什么把戏？凯特琳人在临冬城，离此数百里之遥。”
“Oh?” Littlefinger’s
grey-green eyes glittered with amusement. “Then it appears someone has managed
an astonishing impersonation. For the last time, come. Or don’t come, and I’ll
keep her for myself.”
“哦？”小指头灰绿色的眼睛里闪着饶富兴味的光芒。“那么此人的易容术果真不同凡响。我说最后一次，要么跟我来，不然我就把她据为己有啰。”
He hurried down the steps.
他快步走下阶梯。
Ned followed him warily, wondering if this
day would ever end. He had no taste for these intrigues, but he was beginning
to realize that they were meat and mead to a man like Littlefinger.
奈德满怀戒心地跟上，心里不知这一天究竟何时才会结束。他对这些心机巧诈毫无兴趣，但已逐渐开始理解，对于小指头这样的人，权术和阴谋就是家常便饭。
At the foot of the steps was a heavy door
of oak and iron. Petyr Baelish lifted the crossbar and gestured Ned through.
They stepped out into the ruddy glow of dusk, on a rocky bluff high above the
river. “We’re outside the castle,” Ned said.
阶梯底端有一扇橡木和铁条制成的厚重门扉。培提尔举起门闩，挥手示意奈德进去。他发现他们正置身位于河流之上的峻峭绝壁，浸沐在黄昏的红晕里。“我们在城堡外面。”奈德道。
“You are a hard
man to fool, Stark,” Littlefinger said with a smirk. “Was it the sun that gave
it away, or the sky? Follow me. There are niches cut in the rock. Try not to
fall to your death, Catelyn would never understand.” With that, he was over the
side of the cliff, descending as quick as a monkey.
“你还真不好骗嘛，史塔克。”小指头傻笑道，“到底是太阳还是天空泄露了秘密？跟我来，岩壁上挖了可供攀附的凹洞。小心别摔死，否则凯特琳永远也不会原谅我。”说完他翻身便往下爬，动作像猴子一般灵敏。
Ned studied the rocky face of the bluff for
a moment, then followed more slowly. The niches were there, as Littlefinger had
promised, shallow cuts that would be invisible from below, unless you knew just
where to look for them. The river was a long, dizzying distance below. Ned kept
his face pressed to the rock and tried not to look down any more often than he
had to.
奈德仔细审视了岩壁一会儿，然后慢慢地跟着下去。峭壁上果真如小指头所言，刻有浅浅的凹洞，除非你原本就知道，否则从悬崖下根本无从发现。河流离他们有一段高到令人晕眩的距离。奈德把脸贴上岩石，除非必要，尽量不往下看。
When at last he reached the bottom, a
narrow, muddy trail along the water’s edge, Littlefinger was lazing against a
rock and eating an apple. He was almost down to the core. “You are growing old
and slow, Stark,” he said, flipping the apple casually into the rushing water.
“No matter, we ride the rest of the way.” He had two horses waiting. Ned
mounted up and trotted behind him, down the trail and into the city.
最后他总算好不容易到达底部，旁边是一条狭窄而泥泞的水滨小径，小指头正懒洋洋地靠在岩石上啃苹果。他已经快吃完了。“史塔克，你老了不中用啦。”他边说边随手把苹果核丢进激流。“没关系，接下来我们骑马。”两匹马正等在那里，奈德骑上，催马快步跟在他身后，顺着小路朝城市去。
Finally Baelish drew rein in front of a
ramshackle building, three stories, timbered, its windows bright with lamplight
in the gathering dusk. The sounds of music and raucous laughter drifted out and
floated over the water. Beside the door swung an ornate oil lamp on a heavy
chain, with a globe of leaded red glass.
最后贝里席在一栋看起来摇摇欲坠的三层木造建筑前停了下来。窗户透出灯光，在逐渐黯淡的暮色里显得特别明亮。乐声和刺耳的笑闹从内散溢，在河面上飘荡。门边有一条沉甸甸的链子挂着盏华丽的油灯，外面盖着加铅的红玻璃灯罩。
Ned Stark dismounted in a fury. “A
brothel,” he said as he seized Littlefinger by the shoulder and spun him
around. “You’ve brought me all this way to take me to a brothel.”
奈德·史塔克愤怒地跳下马。“这是家妓院。”他抓住小指头肩膀把他推得团团转。“走大老远的路，结果你竟带我上妓院？”
“Your wife is
inside,” Littlefinger said.
“你老婆在里面。”小指头说
It was the final insult. “Brandon was too
kind to you,” Ned said as he slammed the small man back against a wall and
shoved his dagger up under the little pointed chin beard.
他再也忍耐不住。“布兰登对你太仁慈了。”奈德说着把小个子狠狠地往墙上撞去，抽出匕首指向他留着胡子的尖下巴。
“My lord, no,” an
urgent voice called out. “He speaks the truth.” There were footsteps behind
him.
“大人，快停手。”一个焦急的声音唤道。“他说的是实话。”背后传来脚步声。
Ned spun, knife in hand, as an old
white-haired man hurried toward them. He was dressed in brown roughspun, and
the soft flesh under his chin wobbled as he ran. “This is no business of
yours,” Ned began; then, suddenly, the recognition came. He lowered the dagger,
astonished. “Ser Rodrik?”
奈德握刀转身。只见一个身穿褐色粗布衣服，下颚的软肉随着跑步不住颤动的白发老人急急忙忙朝他们跑来。“这不干你的事。”奈德才刚开口，突然认出来者。他放下匕首，惊讶万分。“罗德利克爵士？”
Rodrik Cassel nodded. “Your lady awaits you
upstairs.”
罗德利克爵士点点头。“夫人在楼上等您。”
Ned was lost. “Catelyn is truly here? This
is not some strange jape of Littlefinger’s?” He sheathed his blade.
奈德糊涂了。“凯特琳真的在这里？不是小指头的恶作剧？”他收起武器。
“Would that it
were, Stark,” Littlefinger said. “Follow me, and try to look a shade more
lecherous and a shade less like the King’s Hand. It would not do to have you
recognized. Perhaps you could fondle a breast or two, just in passing.”
“我有那本事倒好，史塔克。”小指头道，“随我来罢。还有，脸上表情露骨一点，不要一副正襟危坐的首相模样。你要是被认出来，那可就糟了。不介意的话，经过时摸两把奶子。”
They went inside, through a crowded common
room where a fat woman was singing bawdy songs while pretty young girls in
linen shifts and wisps of colored silk pressed themselves against their lovers
and dandled on their laps. No one paid Ned the least bit of attention. Ser
Rodrik waited below while Littlefinger led him up to the third floor, along a
corridor, and through a door.
他们走进屋内，穿过拥挤的大厅，有个胖女人正唱着歌词淫秽的曲子，身穿轻薄罗衫的美少女坐在恩客腿上撒娇。没人理会奈德。罗德利克爵士等在楼下，由小指头领他走上三楼，穿过回廊，进了门。
Inside, Catelyn was waiting. She cried out
when she saw him, ran to him, and embraced him fiercely.
凯特琳正在里面，她一见他便叫出声来，朝他飞奔过去，紧紧地抱住他。
“My lady,” Ned
whispered in wonderment.
“夫人。”奈德惊讶地轻声说。
“Oh, very good,”
said Littlefinger, closing the door. “You recognized her.”
“哟，好极了。”小指头说着关上门。“您认得她。”
“I feared you’d
never come, my lord,” she whispered against his chest. “Petyr has been bringing
me reports. He told me of your troubles with Arya and the young prince. How are
my girls?”
“大人，我好怕你不会来。”她贴在他胸膛上细语。“培提尔一直捎来你的消息。他告诉我艾莉亚和年轻王子的事了。我的乖女儿们都还好么？”
“Both in mourning,
and full of anger,” he told her. “Cat, I do not understand. What are you doing
in King’s Landing? What’s happened?” Ned asked his wife. “Is it Bran? Is
he?.?.?.?”Dead was the word that came to his lips, but he could not say it.
“她俩都很难过，也很愤怒。”他对她说，“凯特，我不懂。你来君临做什么？发生了什么事？”奈德询问妻子。“是布兰的事？难道他……”死这个字几乎就要脱口而出，但他无法启齿。
“It is Bran, but
not as you think,” Catelyn said.
“是布兰的事，但不是你想的那样。”凯特琳道。
Ned was lost. “Then how? Why are you here,
my love? What is this place?”
奈德更摸不着头脑。“那是怎么回事？亲爱的，你为什么会在这里？这又是什么地方？”
“Just what it
appears,” Littlefinger said, easing himself onto a window seat. “A brothel. Can
you think of a less likely place to find a Catelyn Tully?” He smiled. “As it
chances, I own this particular establishment, so arrangements were easily made.
I am most anxious to keep the Lannisters from learning that Cat is here in
King’s Landing.”
“你觉得这里看起来像什么？”小指头说着在窗边落座。“这就是家妓院。还有什么地方比这里更不可能找到凯特琳·徒利呢？”他微笑，“说来也巧，这家店恰好就是由我经营，所以要安排很简单。我可是极力避免让兰尼斯特的人得知凯特在君临的消息。”
“Why?” Ned asked.
He saw her hands then, the awkward way she held them, the raw red scars, the
stiffness of the last two fingers on her left. “You’ve been hurt.” He took her
hands in his own, turned them over. “Gods. Those are deep cuts?.?.?.?a gash
from a sword or?.?.?.?how did this happen, my lady?”
“为什么？”奈德问，这时他才看见她的手怪异的姿势，看见那尚未愈合的红色伤疤，左手小指和无名指僵硬不便的样子。“你受伤了。”他握起她的手反复检视。“老天，伤得好深……这是剑伤还是……夫人，怎么会发生这种事？”
Catelyn slid a dagger out from under her
cloak and placed it in his hand. “This blade was sent to open Bran’s throat and
spill his life’s blood.”
凯特琳从斗篷下抽出一把匕首交给他。“有人带着这把刀要取布兰性命。”
Ned’s head jerked up.
“But?.?.?.?who?.?.?.?why would?.?.?.?”
奈德猛地抬头。“但是……谁……谁会这么……”
She put a finger to his lips. “Let me tell
it all, my love. It will go faster that way. Listen.”
她伸出手指贴上他嘴唇。“亲爱的，让我说比较快。你好好听着罢。”
So he listened, and she told it all, from
the fire in the library tower to Varys and the guardsmen and Littlefinger. And
when she was done, Eddard Stark sat dazed beside the table, the dagger in his
hand. Bran’s wolf had saved the boy’s life, he thought dully. What was it that
Jon had said when they found the pups in the snow? Your children were meant to
have these pups, my lord. And he had killed Sansa’s, and for what? Was it guilt
he was feeling? Or fear? If the gods had sent these wolves, what folly had he
done?
于是他仔细聆听，而她将事情始末和盘托出，从藏书塔大火、瓦里斯、前来迎接她的都城守备队一直说到小指头。等她说完，艾德·史塔克手握匕首，呆若木鸡地坐在桌边。布兰的狼救了那孩子一命，他呆滞地思索着。当初琼恩在雪地里找到那群小狼时，他说了些什么？大人，您的孩子注定要拥有这些小狼。结果他却亲手杀了珊莎的狼，到头来这是为了什么？他现在的感觉是罪恶？还是恐惧？假如这些狼实乃上天所赐，他究竟犯了何等滔天大罪？
Painfully, Ned forced his thoughts back to
the dagger and what it meant. “The Imp’s dagger,” he repeated. It made no
sense. His hand curled around the smooth dragonbone hilt, and he slammed the
blade into the table, felt it bite into the wood. It stood mocking him. “Why
should Tyrion Lannister want Bran dead? The boy has never done him harm.”
奈德痛苦地强迫自己将思绪拉回眼前的匕首，思考隐含其后的含义。“小恶魔的刀。”他复诵。这太不合理。他紧握平滑的龙骨刀柄，将之狠狠地插进桌面，感觉它深深地咬入木头。匕首就这么立着，仿佛在嘲弄他。“提利昂·兰尼斯特为什么要布兰的命？那孩子从没招惹他。”
“Do you Starks
have nought but snow between your ears?” Littlefinger asked. “The Imp would
never have acted alone.”
“你们史塔克家的人都没脑筋的？”小指头问，“小恶魔当然不会单独行动。”
Ned rose and paced the length of the room.
“If the queen had a role in this or, gods forbid, the king himself?.?.?.?no, I
will not believe that.” Yet even as he said the words, he remembered that chill
morning on the barrowlands, and Robert’s talk of sending hired knives after the
Targaryen princess. He remembered Rhaegar’s infant son, the red ruin of his
skull, and the way the king had turned away, as he had turned away in Darry’s
audience hall not so long ago. He could still hear Sansa pleading, as Lyanna
had pleaded once.
奈德起身，绕着房间踱步。“难道说王后亦参与此事？或者，诸神在上，连国王他也……不，绝对不可能。”他一边说着，一边想起了那个荒冢地的清冷早晨，劳勃提到派刺客去对付坦格利安公主。他忆起雷加那尚在襁褓的儿子，血淋淋的头颅，以及国王置之不理的态度，正如不久以前他在戴瑞的会客厅里的所作所为。珊莎的哀告至今犹在耳际，一如莱安娜临终前的恳求。
“Most likely the
king did not know,” Littlefinger said. “It would not be the first time. Our
good Robert is practiced at closing his eyes to things he would rather not
see.”
“国王八成不知情。”小指头道，“这也不是第一次了，对于不想知道的事，咱们的好劳勃向来是眼不见为净。”
Ned had no reply for that. The face of the
butcher’s boy swam up before his eyes, cloven almost in two, and afterward the
king had said not a word. His head was pounding.
奈德没有答话。屠夫小弟的那张几乎被劈成两半的脸浮现在他眼前，然而国王半声也没吭。他的脑袋开始轰轰作响。
Littlefinger sauntered over to the table,
wrenched the knife from the wood. “The accusation is treason either way. Accuse
the king and you will dance with Ilyn Payne before the words are out of your
mouth. The queen?.?.?.?if you can find proof, and if you can make Robert
listen, then perhaps?.?.?.?”
小指头晃到桌边，把匕首从木头里拔出。“无论怎样行动，都构成叛国罪。若是控告国王，只怕你话还没出口就先被伊林·派恩给宰了。若是王后……除非你能找到证据，而且能让劳勃听进去，才有可能……”
“We have proof,”
Ned said. “We have the dagger.”
“我们有证据，”奈德道，“我们有这把匕首。”
“This?”
Littlefinger flipped the knife casually end over end. “A sweet piece of steel,
but it cuts two ways, my lord. The Imp will no doubt swear the blade was lost
or stolen while he was at Winterfell, and with his hireling dead, who is there
to give him the lie?” He tossed the knife lightly to Ned. “My counsel is to
drop that in the river and forget that it was ever forged.”
“这个？”小指头漫不经心地把玩着匕首。“大人，这是把好刀，好刀都是两面开刃的。小恶魔肯定会辩称匕首是他在临冬城期间弄丢或是被偷。既然他雇的杀手已死，谁能证明他所言真假呢？”他把刀子轻轻抛给奈德。“我建议你还是把这玩意儿丢进河里，当它根本就不存在罢。”
Ned regarded him coldly. “Lord Baelish, I
am a Stark of Winterfell. My son lies crippled, perhaps dying. He would be
dead, and Catelyn with him, but for a wolf pup we found in the snow. If you
truly believe I could forget that, you are as big a fool now as when you took
up sword against my brother.”
奈德冷冷地看着他。“贝里席大人，我是临冬城史塔克家族的人。我的儿子成了残废，很可能还活不成。若没有那只我们在雪地里找到的小狼，他此刻已经死了，凯特琳很可能也会陪着他送命。假如你真以为我会装作没事，那你就和当年向我哥哥挑战一样愚蠢。”
“A fool I may be,
Stark?.?.?.?yet I’m still here, while your brother has been moldering in his
frozen grave for some fourteen years now. If you are so eager to molder beside
him, far be it from me to dissuade you, but I would rather not be included in
the party, thank you very much.”
“史塔克，我蠢是蠢……可还活得好好的，令兄倒已经在冰封的坟墓里发霉了十四年。你这么迫不及待要步他后尘，我也无法劝阻，不过我先声明，你可千万别把我牵扯进去，非常感谢。”
“You would be the
last man I would willingly include in any party, Lord Baelish.”
“很好，贝里席大人，不管我做什么，最不想与之为伍的人就是你。”
“You wound me
deeply.” Littlefinger placed a hand over his heart. “For my part, I always
found you Starks a tiresome lot, but Cat seems to have become attached to you,
for reasons I cannot comprehend. I shall try to keep you alive for her sake. A
fool’s task, admittedly, but I could never refuse your wife anything.”
“这话我听了好伤心啊。”小指头伸手按住心口。“我自己嘛，总觉得你们史塔克家的人实在无趣得很，但凯特不知怎地始终离不开你。所以呢，为着她的缘故，我会尽量不让你送命。说来只有笨蛋才会这么做，但我就是没法拒绝你老婆的任何请求。”
“I told Petyr our
suspicions about Jon Arryn’s death,” Catelyn said. “He has promised to help you
find the truth.”
“我把我们关于琼恩·艾林死因的怀疑告诉了培提尔。”凯特琳道，“他答应协助你调查真相。”
That was not news that Eddard Stark
welcomed, but it was true enough that they needed help, and Littlefinger had
been almost a brother to Cat once. It would not be the first time that Ned had
been forced to make common cause with a man he despised. “Very well,” he said,
thrusting the dagger into his belt. “You spoke of Varys. Does the eunuch know
all of it?”
对艾德·史塔克而言，这并非好消息，不过他们确实需要援手，而小指头和凯特曾经情同姐弟。再说这也不是奈德第一次被迫与他所轻视的人妥协了。“好罢，”他把匕首插进腰带，“你刚说到瓦里斯，他也知道整件事的来龙去脉？”
“Not from my
lips,” Catelyn said. “You did not wed a fool, Eddard Stark. But Varys has ways
of learning things that no man could know. He has some dark art, Ned, I swear
it.”
“如果知道，也一定不是我说的。”凯特琳道，“艾德·史塔克，你娶的人可不笨。但瓦里斯有办法知道别人不可能知道的事。奈德，我相信这家伙懂得妖术。”
“He has spies,
that is well known,” Ned said, dismissive.
“他的走狗满天下，这是众所周知的事。”奈德鄙夷地说。
“It is more than
that,” Catelyn insisted. “Ser Rodrik spoke to Ser Aron Santagar in all secrecy,
yet somehow the Spider knew of their conversation. I fear that man.”
“不只如此，”凯特琳坚持，“罗德利克爵士和艾伦·桑塔加爵士的会面自始至终都秘密进行，但这蜘蛛不知怎么就是知道谈话内容。我很怕这个人。”
Littlefinger smiled. “Leave Lord Varys to
me, sweet lady. If you will permit me a small obscenity, and where better for
it, I hold the man’s balls in the palm of my hand.” He cupped his fingers,
smiling. “Or would, if he were a man, or had any balls. You see, if the pie is
opened, the birds begin to sing, and Varys would not like that. Were I you, I
would worry more about the Lannisters and less about the eunuch.”
小指头微笑。“好夫人，瓦里斯伯爵就交给我来对付。容我说几句脏话——还有什么地方比这里更适合了呢？——他的卵蛋被我大大方方地捏在手掌心。”他合拢指头，笑了，“当然啰，这里假设他是个有卵蛋的男人。你不妨这么想，假如喜鹊会开口，小小鸟儿要歌唱，那么瓦里斯是不会喜欢的。好啦，如果我是你，与其担心那太监，不如多提防兰尼斯特的人。”
Ned did not need Littlefinger to tell him
that. He was thinking back to the day Arya had been found, to the look on the
queen’s face when she said, We have a wolf, so soft and quiet. He was thinking
of the boy Mycah, of Jon Arryn’s sudden death, of Bran’s fall, of old mad Aerys
Targaryen dying on the floor of his throne room while his life’s blood dried on
a golden blade. “My lady,” he said, turning to Catelyn, “there is nothing more
you can do here. I want you to return to Winterfell at once. If there was one
assassin, there could be others. Whoever ordered Bran’s death will learn soon
enough that the boy still lives.”
奈德无需小指头提醒。他想起找到艾莉亚那天的场景，想起王后当时的神情。谁说我们没有狼？那么地轻声细语。他想到男孩米凯，想到琼恩·艾林的猝死，还有布兰坠楼，以及丧心病狂的老王伊里斯·坦格利安躺在王座厅的地板上奄奄一息，他的血在镀金宝剑上慢慢干涸的场面。“夫人，”他转向凯特琳，“你留在这里也无济于事，我希望你即刻返回临冬城。所谓有其一必有其二，难保以后不会有其他刺客上门滋事。不管背后主谋是谁，他一定很快就得知布兰活了下来。”
“I had hoped to
see the girls?.?.?.?” Catelyn said.
“我本想见见女儿……”凯特琳道。
“That would be
most unwise,” Littlefinger put in. “The Red Keep is full of curious eyes, and
children talk.”
“那就太不明智了。”小指头插话。“红堡处处隔墙有耳，更何况小孩子口风不紧。”
“He speaks truly,
my love,” Ned told her. He embraced her. “Take Ser Rodrik and ride for
Winterfell. I will watch over the girls. Go home to our sons and keep them
safe.”
“亲爱的，他说得有理。”奈德告诉她，一边给她拥抱。“带上罗德利克爵士，启程回临冬城去罢。我会好好照顾女儿们。回到我们的儿子身边，保护好他们。”
“As you say, my
lord.” Catelyn lifted her face, and Ned kissed her. Her maimed fingers clutched
against his back with a desperate strength, as if to hold him safe forever in
the shelter of her arms.
“那就这样，大人”凯特琳抬起脸，奈德吻了她。她受伤的手用一种近乎绝望的力量环抱住他的背，仿佛要将他永远留在自己安全的怀抱里。
“Would the lord
and lady like the use of a bedchamber?” asked Littlefinger. “I should warn you,
Stark, we usually charge for that sort of thing around here.”
“老爷、夫人莫不借卧室一用？”小指头问，“不过我先提醒你，史塔克，在这儿开房办事是要收费的。”
“A moment alone,
that’s all I ask,” Catelyn said.
“让我们独处一下就好。”凯特琳道。
“Very well.”
Littlefinger strolled to the door. “Don’t be too long. It is past time the Hand
and I returned to the castle, before our absence is noted.”
“也罢。”小指头朝门边走去。“别拖太久。我和首相大人早该回到城里，以免失踪太久他人起疑。”
Catelyn went to him and took his hands in
her own. “I will not forget the help you gave me, Petyr. When your men came for
me, I did not know whether they were taking me to a friend or an enemy. I have
found you more than a friend. I have found a brother I’d thought lost.”
凯特琳走到他身边握住他的手。“培提尔，我永远不会忘记你的帮助。你手下来找我的时候，我原不知自己将落入朋友还是敌人的手中。结果我发现你不仅是朋友，还是我失散多年的弟弟。”
Petyr Baelish smiled. “I am desperately
sentimental, sweet lady. Best not tell anyone. I have spent years convincing
the court that I am wicked and cruel, and I should hate to see all that hard
work go for naught.”
培提尔·贝里席微笑道：“好夫人，我这人就是多愁善感，这话还请你千万别告诉他人。这些年来我在宫廷里费尽心力，想让别人以为我是个既邪恶又残酷的人，实在不愿就这么功亏一篑。”
Ned believed not a word of that, but he
kept his voice polite as he said, “You have my thanks as well, Lord Baelish.”
这番话奈德是一个字也不信，但他还是彬彬有礼地说：“贝里席大人，我也感谢您。”
“Oh, now there’s a
treasure,” Littlefinger said, exiting.
“哟，这可是东洋宝贝。”小指头说着离开房间。
When the door had closed behind him, Ned
turned back to his wife. “Once you are home, send word to Helman Tallhart and
Galbart Glover under my seal. They are to raise a hundred bowmen each and
fortify Moat Cailin. Two hundred determined archers can hold the Neck against
an army. Instruct Lord Manderly that he is to strengthen and repair all his
defenses at White Harbor, and see that they are well manned. And from this day
on, I want a careful watch kept over Theon Greyjoy. If there is war, we shall
have sore need of his father’s fleet.”
房门关上后，奈德转身面对他的妻子。“你一到家，立刻以我的名义送信给赫曼·陶哈和盖伯特·葛洛佛，命令他们各调一百名弓箭手协防卡林湾。两百弓箭手足以阻挡任何军队北上颈泽。指示曼德勒伯爵加紧维修白港的防御工事，并确保守军充足。还有，从今往后，我希望你特别看紧席恩·葛雷乔伊。倘若战争爆发，我们非常需要他父亲的舰队。”
“War?” The fear
was plain on Catelyn’s face.
“战争爆发？”恐惧清楚地写在凯特琳脸上。
“It will not come
to that,” Ned promised her, praying it was true. He took her in his arms again.
“The Lannisters are merciless in the face of weakness, as Aerys Targaryen
learned to his sorrow, but they would not dare attack the north without all the
power of the realm behind them, and that they shall not have. I must play out
this fool’s masquerade as if nothing is amiss. Remember why I came here, my
love. If I find proof that the Lannisters murdered Jon Arryn?.?.?.?”
“情势不致恶化到那个地步的。”奈德向她保证，心中暗自祈祷真是如此。他再度搂她入怀。“兰尼斯特家对待弱者毫不留情，伊里斯·坦格利安就是最好的教训。然而除非他们有全国的军力作后盾，否则决不敢进犯北方，而他们作梦也别想有那样的一天。我必须玩这场愚人的假面舞会，继续装出若无其事的样子。记得我来此的目的么，亲爱的？我要找出兰尼斯特家谋杀琼恩·艾林的证据……”
He felt Catelyn tremble in his arms. Her
scarred hands clung to him. “If,” she said, “what then, my love?”
他感觉到凯特琳在他怀里颤抖，她伤残的手紧紧抱住他。“若真找到了，”她说，“接下来怎么办，亲爱的？”
That was the most dangerous part, Ned knew.“All justice flows from
the king,” he told her. “When I know the truth, I must go to Robert.” And pray that he is the man I think he is, he
finished silently, and not the man I fear he has become.
接下来是最危险的部分，奈德明白。“国王乃是至高的法律仲裁，”他告诉她，“待我查明真相，我将觐见劳勃。”届时我只能祈祷他仍保有意想中的英明，而非我所恐惧的昏庸，他在心里默默地说完。
