JON

26 瓊恩

Jon was showing

Dareon how best to deliver a sidestroke when the new recruit entered the

practice yard. “Your feet should be farther apart,” he urged. “You don’t want

to lose your balance. That’s good. Now pivot as you deliver the stroke, get all

your weight behind the blade.”

那個(gè)新兵走進(jìn)訓(xùn)練場(chǎng)時(shí)，瓊恩正在向戴利恩示范側(cè)劈的訣竅。“兩腳要張開(kāi)一點(diǎn)，”他叮囑道，“以免重心不穩(wěn)，對(duì)，就是這樣。出手的時(shí)候身體旋轉(zhuǎn)，把全部的重心放在劍上。”

Dareon broke off

and lifted his visor. “Seven gods,” he murmured. “Would you look at this, Jon.”

戴利恩停了下來(lái)，掀開(kāi)面罩。“諸神在上，”他喃喃道，“瓊恩，你快瞧瞧。”

Jon turned.

Through the eye slit of his helm, he beheld the fattest boy he had ever seen

standing in the door of the armory. By the look of him, he must have weighed

twenty stone. The fur collar of his embroidered surcoat was lost beneath his

chins. Pale eyes moved nervously in a great round moon of a face, and plump

sweaty fingers wiped themselves on the velvet of his doublet. “They ?.?.?.?they

told me I was to come here for?.?.?.?for training,” he said to no one in

particular.

瓊恩轉(zhuǎn)身，隔著頭盔的細(xì)窄眼縫，他看到了他平生所見(jiàn)最為肥胖的男孩站在兵器庫(kù)門(mén)口。單憑目測(cè)，他大概有二十石重，肥大的下巴完全遮掩住刺繡外套的絨毛領(lǐng)口，圓滾滾的月亮臉上一對(duì)蒼白的眼睛局促地四下轉(zhuǎn)動(dòng)，汗水淋漓的肥胖指頭則在天鵝絨上衣上揩個(gè)不停。“他……他們叫我來(lái)這邊……受訓(xùn)。”他不確定地道。

“A lordling,” Pyp observed to Jon. “Southron, most like near

Highgarden.” Pyp had traveled the Seven Kingdoms with a mummers’ troupe, and

bragged that he could tell what you were and where you’d been born just from

the sound of your voice.

“公子哥兒一個(gè)，”派普對(duì)瓊恩說(shuō)，“南方來(lái)的，八成是高庭一帶的人。”派普曾經(jīng)跟著戲班走遍七國(guó)全境，自稱(chēng)憑口音便能分辨別人來(lái)自何方，操什么營(yíng)生。

A striding

huntsman had been worked in scarlet thread upon the breast of the fat boy’s

fur-trimmed surcoat. Jon did not recognize the sigil. Ser Alliser Thorne looked

over his new charge and said, “It would seem they have run short of poachers

and thieves down south. Now they send us pigs to man the Wall. Is fur and

velvet your notion of armor, my Lord of Ham?”

胖男孩穿著絨毛滾邊的外套，胸前用鮮紅絲線繡著一個(gè)大跨步的獵人。瓊恩不認(rèn)得這個(gè)家徽。只見(jiàn)艾里沙·索恩爵士望了望他的新手下說(shuō)：“看來(lái)這年頭南方連盜獵者和小偷都人手短缺，這會(huì)兒倒把豬送來(lái)防守長(zhǎng)城啦。我說(shuō)火腿大人，這身毛皮和天鵝絨敢情就是您的鎧甲了？”

It was soon

revealed that the new recruit had brought his own armor with him; padded

doublet, boiled leather, mail and plate and helm, even a great wood-and-leather

shield blazoned with the same striding huntsman he wore on his surcoat. As none

of it was black, however, Ser Alliser insisted that he reequip himself from the

armory. That took half the morning. His girth required Donal Noye to take apart

a mail hauberk and refit it with leather panels at the sides. To get a helm

over his head the armorer had to detach the visor. His leathers bound so

tightly around his legs and under his arms that he could scarcely move. Dressed

for battle, the new boy looked like an overcooked sausage about to burst its

skin. “Let us hope you are not as inept as you look,” Ser Alliser said.

“Halder, see what Ser Piggy can do.”

眾人很快便發(fā)現(xiàn)這新兵自己帶來(lái)了全套行頭：加襯墊的上衣，煮過(guò)的硬皮甲，鐵鎧和頭盔，還有個(gè)包皮的大木盾，上面同樣刻著他衣服上那個(gè)健步獵人紋章。由于這身裝備沒(méi)一件是黑的，艾里沙爵士便堅(jiān)持要那新兵到武器庫(kù)去換一套。這一換就是半早上。因?yàn)樗难鼑郑萍{·諾伊只好拆開(kāi)整件胸甲，再幫他前后套上，兩邊用皮繩捆住。為了幫他戴上頭盔，面罩便保不住。他的皮護(hù)手和綁腿緊緊地綁在四肢上，使他幾乎動(dòng)彈不得。全副武裝之后，新來(lái)的小子看起來(lái)活像條煮得過(guò)熟的香腸，隨時(shí)可能爆開(kāi)。“希望你不像看起來(lái)那么不中用，”艾里沙爵士道，“霍德，試試豬頭爵士有多厲害。”

Jon Snow winced.

Halder had been born in a quarry and apprenticed as a stonemason. He was

sixteen, tall and muscular, and his blows were as hard as any Jon had ever

felt. “This will be uglier than a whore’s ass,” Pyp muttered, and it was.

瓊恩·雪諾聽(tīng)了立刻皺起眉頭。霍德在采石場(chǎng)里出生，當(dāng)過(guò)石匠的學(xué)徒，今年十六歲，高大又結(jié)實(shí)，打起人來(lái)下手很重，瓊恩還沒(méi)嘗過(guò)更厲害的拳頭。“這下有人要他媽的倒大霉了。”派普喃喃道，事情果真如他所料。

The fight lasted

less than a minute before the fat boy was on the ground, his whole body shaking

as blood leaked through his shattered helm and between his pudgy fingers. “I

yield,” he shrilled. “No more, I yield, don’t hit me.” Rast and some of the

other boys were laughing.

打斗不到一分鐘就告結(jié)束。胖子倒在地上，血從碎掉的頭盔和肥短的手指間流出來(lái)，他全身都在顫抖。“我投降，”他尖叫，“別打了，我投降，不要打我。”雷斯特和其他幾個(gè)男孩哄笑成一團(tuán)。

Even then, Ser

Alliser would not call an end. “On your feet, Ser Piggy,” he called. “Pick up

your sword.” When the boy continued to cling to the ground, Thorne gestured to

Halder. “Hit him with the flat of your blade until he finds his feet.” Halder

delivered a tentative smack to his foe’s upraised cheeks. “You can hit harder

than that,” Thorne taunted. Halder took hold of his longsword with both hands

and brought it down so hard the blow split leather, even on the flat. The new

boy screeched in pain.

即便如此，艾里沙爵士還是不肯罷休。“豬頭爵士，給我起來(lái)，”他叫道，“把劍撿起來(lái)。”眼看胖子還是躺在地上，索恩向霍德示意，“拿劍脊揍他，直到他爬起來(lái)為止。”霍德試探性地敲敲對(duì)手仰高的臉頰。“你該不會(huì)就這點(diǎn)力氣罷？”索恩譏諷。霍德于是雙手持劍，狠狠地砍將下去，力道之猛，雖然是用劍脊，皮甲還是應(yīng)聲破裂。新兵痛苦地哀嚎。

Jon Snow took a

step forward. Pyp laid a mailed hand on his arm. “Jon, no,” the small boy

whispered with an anxious glance at Ser Alliser Thorne.

瓊恩跨前一步，派普忙伸出戴護(hù)套的手抓住他。“瓊恩，不要沖動(dòng)。”小個(gè)子一邊緊張地瞄了艾里沙·索恩爵士一眼，一邊悄聲對(duì)他說(shuō)。

“On your feet,” Thorne repeated. The fat boy struggled to rise,

slipped, and fell heavily again. “Ser Piggy is starting to grasp the notion,”

Ser Alliser observed. “Again.”

“還不快給我起來(lái)。”索恩又說(shuō)。胖男孩掙扎著想起身，誰(shuí)知竟滑了一跤，又重重地摔倒在地。“豬頭爵士有進(jìn)步啰。”艾里沙爵士說(shuō)，“再打。”

Halder lifted

the sword for another blow. “Cut us off a ham!” Rast urged, laughing.

霍德舉起劍準(zhǔn)備繼續(xù)。“給我們切塊火腿唷！”雷斯特獰笑著催促他。

Jon shook off

Pyp’s hand. “Halder, enough.”

瓊恩甩開(kāi)派普的手。“霍德，夠了。”

Halder looked to

Ser Alliser.

霍德轉(zhuǎn)頭去看艾里沙爵士。

“The Bastard speaks and the peasants tremble,” the master-at-arms

said in that sharp, cold voice of his. “I remind you that I am the

master-at-arms here, Lord Snow.”

“野種出來(lái)為農(nóng)民打抱不平啦？”教頭用他那尖銳而冷酷的聲音說(shuō)，“雪諾大人，你別忘了，我才是這里的頭兒。”

“Look at him, Halder,” Jon urged, ignoring Thorne as best he could.

“There’s no honor in beating a fallen foe. He yielded.” He knelt beside the fat

boy.

“霍德，你看看他，”瓊恩勸促道，故意不理睬索恩。“人家都投降了，你這樣趁火打劫有什么意義？”他在胖子身旁蹲了下來(lái)。

Halder lowered

his sword. “He yielded,” he echoed.

霍德放下劍。“他投降了，”他跟著重復(fù)。

Ser Alliser’s

onyx eyes were fixed on Jon Snow. “It would seem our Bastard is in love,” he

said as Jon helped the fat boy to his feet. “Show me your steel, Lord Snow.”

艾里沙爵士黑瑪瑙似的眼睛緊緊盯著瓊恩·雪諾不放。“我說(shuō)哪，原來(lái)咱們野種談戀愛(ài)啦。”他邊看著瓊恩扶起胖子邊說(shuō)，“雪諾大人，亮劍。”

Jon drew his

longsword. He dared defy Ser Alliser only to a point, and he feared he was well

beyond it now.

瓊恩抽出長(zhǎng)劍，他只敢反抗艾里沙爵士到某種程度，而他暗自擔(dān)心這回做得太過(guò)火了。

Thorne smiled.

“The Bastard wishes to defend his lady love, so we shall make an exercise of

it. Rat, Pimple, help our Stone Head here.” Rast and Albett moved to join

Halder. “Three of you ought to be sufficient to make Lady Piggy squeal. All you

need do is get past the Bastard.”

索恩微笑道：“野種打算為他心愛(ài)的小姐而戰(zhàn)，所以我們得好好打一場(chǎng)。小老鼠、雀斑男，你們跟大笨頭一邊。”雷斯特和阿貝特走到霍德旁邊。“你們?nèi)齻€(gè)人應(yīng)該夠豬小姐受的了。但首先，你們要打發(fā)掉擋路的野種。”

“Stay behind me,” Jon said to the fat boy. Ser Alliser had often sent

two foes against him, but never three. He knew he would likely go to sleep

bruised and bloody tonight. He braced himself for the assault.

“躲在我背后。”瓊恩對(duì)胖子說(shuō)。艾里沙爵士常叫兩人打他一個(gè)，但從來(lái)沒(méi)有三對(duì)一。他自知今晚上床時(shí)大概會(huì)傷痕累累。于是他屏氣凝神，準(zhǔn)備大干一場(chǎng)。

Suddenly Pyp was

beside him. “Three to two will make for better sport,” the small boy said

cheerfully. He dropped his visor and slid out his sword. Before Jon could even

think to protest, Grenn had stepped up to make a third.

派普突然出現(xiàn)在他身邊。“我想三打二應(yīng)該會(huì)更精彩。”小個(gè)子開(kāi)心地說(shuō)。他放下面罩，抽出佩劍。瓊恩還來(lái)不及抗議，葛蘭也走上前來(lái)加入他們。

The yard had

grown deathly quiet. Jon could feel Ser Alliser’s eyes. “Why are you waiting?”

he asked Rast and the others in a voice gone deceptively soft, but it was Jon

who moved first. Halder barely got his sword up in time.

整個(gè)廣場(chǎng)頓時(shí)一片死寂。瓊恩感覺(jué)得出艾里沙爵士的眼神。“你們還等什么？”他用輕得嚇人的聲音問(wèn)雷斯特和其他人，然而最先出手的卻是瓊恩，霍德差點(diǎn)就不及舉劍格擋。

Jon drove him

backward, attacking with every blow, keeping the older boy on the heels. Know

your foe, Ser Rodrik had taught him once; Jon knew Halder, brutally strong but

short of patience, with no taste for defense. Frustrate him, and he would leave

himself open, as certain as sunset.

瓊恩不斷進(jìn)攻，逼得這個(gè)年長(zhǎng)的男孩節(jié)節(jié)后退。要了解你的敵人，羅德利克爵士曾經(jīng)這么教他，而瓊恩很了解霍德，他壯得驚人，但缺乏耐心，向來(lái)不慣防守。只要想辦法激怒他，他自會(huì)門(mén)戶(hù)洞開(kāi)，破綻百出。

The clang of

steel echoed through the yard as the others joined battle around him. Jon

blocked a savage cut at his head, the shock of impact running up his arm as the

swords crashed together. He slammed a sidestroke into Halder’s ribs, and was

rewarded with a muffled grunt of pain. The counterstroke caught Jon on the

shoulder. Chainmail crunched, and pain flared up his neck, but for an instant

Halder was unbalanced. Jon cut his left leg from under him, and he fell with a

curse and a crash.

這時(shí)其他人也加入戰(zhàn)局，刀劍交擊聲剎時(shí)響徹廣場(chǎng)。瓊恩擋下一記照頭揮來(lái)的猛擊，力道之大震得他手臂酸麻。他一記側(cè)劈打中霍德的肋骨，只聽(tīng)對(duì)方一聲悶哼，隨即反手砍中瓊恩肩膀。鎖甲鏗鏘一聲，疼痛直逼脖頸，但霍德也暫時(shí)重心不穩(wěn)，于是瓊恩猛力掃他左腿，他咒罵著轟然倒地。

Grenn was

standing his ground as Jon had taught him, giving Albett more than he cared

for, but Pyp was hard-pressed. Rast had two years and forty pounds on him. Jon

stepped up behind him and rang the raper’s helm like a bell. As Rast went

reeling, Pyp slid in under his guard, knocked him down, and leveled a blade at

his throat. By then Jon had moved on. Facing two swords, Albett backed away. “I

yield,” he shouted.

葛蘭依照瓊恩教他的訣竅，穩(wěn)穩(wěn)地守住陣腳，讓阿貝特大感頭痛，但派普就沒(méi)這么好過(guò)了。雷斯特大他兩歲，又比他重上四十磅，所以他打得很吃力。瓊恩閃到雷斯特身后，大力一揮，將這強(qiáng)奸犯的頭盔當(dāng)鈴鐺敲打，眼看雷斯特頭暈眼花，派普乘機(jī)突破防線，將他擊倒，然后舉劍頂著他的喉嚨。這時(shí)瓊恩早已轉(zhuǎn)換陣地，阿貝特一看自己陷入以一打二的劣勢(shì)，急忙退后叫道：“我投降。”

Ser Alliser

Thorne surveyed the scene with disgust. “The mummer’s farce has gone on long

enough for today.” He walked away. The session was at an end.

艾里沙·索恩爵士一臉嫌惡地環(huán)視全場(chǎng)：“你們這些小鬼耍把戲也耍得太久了，今天就到此為止。”說(shuō)完他走開(kāi)去，當(dāng)日的練習(xí)便告結(jié)束。

Dareon helped

Halder to his feet. The quarryman’s son wrenched off his helm and threw it

across the yard. “For an instant, I thought I finally had you, Snow.”

戴利恩扶霍德起身，采石匠的兒子摘下頭盔狠狠地摔到廣場(chǎng)對(duì)面。“雪諾，剛才那一剎那，我還以為逮到你破綻了呢。”

“For an instant, you did,” Jon replied. Under his mail and leather,

his shoulder was throbbing. He sheathed his sword and tried to remove his helm,

but when he raised his arm, the pain made him grit his teeth.

“嗯，但只有那一剎那。”瓊恩回答。覆蓋在護(hù)甲和皮革下的肩膀隱隱作痛，他收起劍，想取下頭盔，但剛抬手就痛得齜牙咧嘴。

“Let me,” a voice said. Thick-fingered hands unfastened helm from

gorget and lifted it off gently. “Did he hurt you?”

“讓我來(lái)。”一個(gè)聲音說(shuō)。粗厚的手指解開(kāi)他喉嚨的皮帶，輕輕地捧起頭盔。“傷得嚴(yán)重嗎？”

“I’ve been bruised before.” He touched his shoulder and winced. The

yard was emptying around them.

“不是第一次了。”他摸摸肩膀，皺緊眉頭，廣場(chǎng)上除了他們幾個(gè)一片空曠。

Blood matted the

fat boy’s hair where Halder had split his helm asunder. “My name is Samwell

Tarly, of Horn?.?.?.?” He stopped and licked his lips. “I mean, I was of Horn

Hill, until I?.?.?.?left. I’ve come to take the black. My father is Lord

Randyll, a bannerman to the Tyrells of Highgarden. I used to be his heir,

only?.?.?.?” His voice trailed off.

胖男孩的發(fā)際有凝固的血塊，正是剛才霍德砍裂頭盔的地方。“我是山姆威爾·塔利，來(lái)自角……”他停下來(lái)舔舔嘴，“我的意思是……那是我……我‘曾經(jīng)’是角陵塔利家族的人。我前來(lái)加入黑衫軍，家父是藍(lán)道伯爵，高庭提利爾家族的封臣。我本來(lái)是爵位繼承人，不過(guò)……”他沒(méi)有說(shuō)下去。

“I’m Jon Snow, Ned Stark’s bastard, of Winterfell.”

“我是瓊恩·雪諾，臨冬城公爵奈德·史塔克的私生子。”

Samwell Tarly

nodded. “I?.?.?.?if you want, you can call me Sam. My mother calls me Sam.”

山姆威爾·塔利點(diǎn)點(diǎn)頭。“我……如果你愿意的話，可以叫我山姆，我媽都這樣叫我。”

“You can call him Lord Snow,” Pyp said as he came up to join them.

“You don’t want to know what his mother calls him.”

“你呢，則要尊稱(chēng)他雪諾大人，”派普邊說(shuō)邊湊過(guò)來(lái)。“你不會(huì)想知道他媽怎么叫他的。”

“These two are Grenn and Pypar,” Jon said.

“這兩位是葛蘭和派普。”瓊恩說(shuō)。

“Grenn’s the ugly one,” Pyp said.

“長(zhǎng)得丑的是葛蘭。”派普道。

Grenn scowled.

“You’re uglier than me. At least I don’t have ears like a bat.”

葛蘭一臉不悅地說(shuō)：“你比我丑咧，起碼我沒(méi)生一對(duì)蝙蝠耳。”

“My thanks to all of you,” the fat boy said gravely.

“我衷心地感謝你們。”胖男孩正色道。

“Why didn’t you get up and fight?” Grenn demanded.

“剛才你怎么不站起來(lái)反擊啊？”葛蘭問(wèn)他。

“I wanted to, truly. I just?.?.?.?I couldn’t. I didn’t want him to

hit me anymore.” He looked at the ground. “I?.?.?.?I fear I’m a coward. My lord

father always said so.”

“我也想，真的，可我……我就是做不到。我也不想一直被揍。”他看看地面，“我……我猜我是窩囊廢一個(gè)，家父常這么說(shuō)。”

Grenn looked

thunderstruck. Even Pyp had no words to say to that, and Pyp had words for

everything. What sort of man would proclaim himself a coward?

葛蘭的表情如遭雷擊，就連派普也說(shuō)不出話來(lái)，而他一向?qū)θ魏问虑槎紣?ài)發(fā)表意見(jiàn)。怎么會(huì)有人自稱(chēng)窩囊廢呢？

Samwell Tarly

must have read their thoughts on their faces. His eyes met Jon’s and darted

away, quick as frightened animals. “I?.?.?.?I’m sorry,” he said. “I don’t mean

to?.?.?.?to be like I am.” He walked heavily toward the armory.

山姆威爾·塔利想必是從他們臉上讀出了他們的想法，他的視線剛碰到瓊恩的眼睛，隨即像受驚的動(dòng)物般轉(zhuǎn)開(kāi)。“我……對(duì)不起，”他說(shuō)，“我……也不想這樣的。”他沉重地走向武器庫(kù)。

Jon called after

him. “You were hurt,” he said. “Tomorrow you’ll do better.”

瓊恩叫住他。“你受傷了，”他說(shuō)，“明天你就會(huì)進(jìn)步的。”

Sam looked

mournfully back over one shoulder. “No I won’t,” he said, blinking back tears.

“I never do better.”

山姆一臉哀怨地回過(guò)頭。“才不會(huì)，”他強(qiáng)忍淚水說(shuō)，“我永遠(yuǎn)都不會(huì)進(jìn)步。”

When he was

gone, Grenn frowned. “Nobody likes cravens,” he said uncomfortably. “I wish we

hadn’t helped him. What if they think we’re craven too?”

等他走后，葛蘭皺起眉頭。“膽小鬼人人討厭，”他很不舒服地說(shuō)，“早知道咱們就不幫他了。要是別人把咱們也當(dāng)膽小鬼那還得了？”

“You’re too stupid to be craven,” Pyp told him.

“你太笨啦，當(dāng)不成膽小鬼的。”派普告訴他。

“I am not,” Grenn said.

“我才不笨。”葛蘭說(shuō)。

“Yes you are. If a bear attacked you in the woods, you’d be too

stupid to run away.”

“你笨死了。要在樹(shù)林里遇到大熊，你都不會(huì)跑喲。”

“I would not,” Grenn insisted. “I’d run away faster than you.” He stopped

suddenly, scowling when he saw Pyp’s grin and realized what he’d just said. His

thick neck flushed a dark red. Jon left them there arguing as he returned to

the armory, hung up his sword, and stripped off his battered armor.

“我當(dāng)然會(huì)跑，”葛蘭堅(jiān)持，“而且跑得比你快。”他看到派普嘻皮笑臉，趕緊住口，這才恍然大悟，氣得臉紅脖子粗。瓊恩讓他們吵個(gè)痛快，自己走回武器庫(kù)，掛回佩劍，脫下一身傷痕累累的鎧甲。

Life at Castle

Black followed certain patterns; the mornings were for swordplay, the

afternoons for work. The black brothers set new recruits to many different

tasks, to learn where their skills lay. Jon cherished the rare afternoons when

he was sent out with Ghost ranging at his side to bring back game for the Lord

Commander’s table, but for every day spent hunting, he gave a dozen to Donal

Noye in the armory, spinning the whetstone while the one-armed smith sharpened

axes grown dull from use, or pumping the bellows as Noye hammered out a new

sword. Other times he ran messages, stood at guard, mucked out stables,

fletched arrows, assisted Maester Aemon with his birds or Bowen Marsh with his

counts and inventories.

黑城堡的生活有種固定的規(guī)律：早上練劍，下午干活。黑衫弟兄交給新兵們各種不同的差事，以判斷他們適合的職業(yè)。偶爾瓊恩會(huì)奉命帶著白靈出外打獵，為總司令的晚餐加菜，他非常珍惜這種機(jī)會(huì)。只可惜這種機(jī)會(huì)實(shí)在少之又少，他得用十幾倍的時(shí)間待在唐納·諾伊的武器庫(kù)里，轉(zhuǎn)磨刀石，幫這位獨(dú)臂鐵匠把鈍斧磨利；或是在諾伊敲打鑄劍時(shí)，在旁鼓動(dòng)風(fēng)爐。其他時(shí)候他還會(huì)傳達(dá)口信，站崗放哨，刷洗馬廄，制造弓箭，照料伊蒙師傅的鳥(niǎo)兒或協(xié)助波文·馬爾錫清點(diǎn)賬目。

That afternoon,

the watch commander sent him to the winch cage with four barrels of

fresh-crushed stone, to scatter gravel over the icy footpaths atop the Wall. It

was lonely and boring work, even with Ghost along for company, but Jon found he

did not mind. On a clear day you could see half the world from the top of the

Wall, and the air was always cold and bracing. He could think here, and he

found himself thinking of Samwell Tarly?.?.?.?and, oddly, of Tyrion Lannister.

He wondered what Tyrion would have made of the fat boy. Most men would rather

deny a hard truth than face it, the dwarf had told him, grinning. The world was

full of cravens who pretended to be heroes; it took a queer sort of courage to

admit to cowardice as Samwell Tarly had.

當(dāng)天下午，他奉守衛(wèi)長(zhǎng)之命，帶著四桶剛壓碎的小石子，前往升降鐵籠，負(fù)責(zé)把碎石鋪在長(zhǎng)城結(jié)冰的走道上。即使有白靈相伴，這依舊是件既孤單又無(wú)趣的差事，但瓊恩不以為忤。倘若天氣清朗，站在長(zhǎng)城之上，半個(gè)世界盡收眼底，何況這里的空氣向來(lái)清新冷冽。他可以在這里靜靜思考，而他發(fā)覺(jué)自己想起了山姆威爾·塔利……奇怪的是，還有提利昂·蘭尼斯特。他不禁好奇提利昂會(huì)怎么對(duì)待這胖小子。侏儒曾嘻嘻笑著對(duì)他說(shuō)：大部分的人寧可否認(rèn)事實(shí)，也不愿面對(duì)真相。這個(gè)世界有太多逞英雄的膽小鬼，能像山姆威爾·塔利這樣自承怯懦還真需要點(diǎn)古怪的勇氣。

His sore

shoulder made the work go slowly. It was late afternoon before Jon finished

graveling the paths. He lingered on high to watch the sun go down, turning the

western sky the color of blood. Finally, as dusk was settling over the north,

Jon rolled the empty barrels back into the cage and signaled the winch men to

lower him.

他的肩膀還在痛，也因此拖慢了工作進(jìn)度，等鋪完走道，天已經(jīng)快黑。他逗留在長(zhǎng)城上觀看日落，看著夕陽(yáng)把西邊的天染成一片血紅。直到夜幕低垂，瓊恩方才拾起空桶，走回鐵籠，拉鈴叫下面的守衛(wèi)放他下去。

The evening meal

was almost done by the time he and Ghost reached the common hall. A group of

the black brothers were dicing over mulled wine near the fire. His friends were

at the bench nearest the west wall, laughing. Pyp was in the middle of a story.

The mummer’s boy with the big ears was a born liar with a hundred different

voices, and he did not tell his tales so much as live them, playing all the

parts as needed, a king one moment and a swineherd the next. When he turned

into an alehouse girl or a virgin princess, he used a high falsetto voice that

reduced them all to tears of helpless laughter, and his eunuchs were always eerily

accurate caricatures of Ser Alliser. Jon took as much pleasure from Pyp’s

antics as anyone?.?.?.?yet that night he turned away and went instead to the

end of the bench, where Samwell Tarly sat alone, as far from the others as he

could get.

他和白靈回到大廳時(shí)，晚餐已差不多結(jié)束。一群黑衣弟兄聚在火爐邊喝著燙過(guò)的酒，賭起骰子。他的朋友們坐在西墻下的長(zhǎng)凳上，笑作一團(tuán)。派普正繪聲繪色地說(shuō)著故事，這個(gè)跟過(guò)戲班的大耳朵男孩是個(gè)天生的騙子，擅長(zhǎng)模仿各種聲音，聽(tīng)他講故事，如同身臨其境，一會(huì)兒模仿國(guó)王，一會(huì)兒又變成豬倌。當(dāng)他學(xué)起酒店女侍或待字閨中的公主時(shí)，那高亢的假音每每讓大伙兒笑得淚流不止，而他裝起太監(jiān)則像極夸張化的艾里沙爵士。瓊恩和大家一樣喜歡聽(tīng)派普胡鬧……但這天晚上他卻轉(zhuǎn)身走到長(zhǎng)凳的盡頭，山姆威爾·塔利坐在那兒，離其他人遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)的。

He was finishing

the last of the pork pie the cooks had served up for supper when Jon sat down

across from him. The fat boy’s eyes widened at the sight of Ghost. “Is that a

wolf?”

瓊恩在他對(duì)面坐下時(shí)，他正吃著廚子們?yōu)橥聿蜏?zhǔn)備的最后一個(gè)豬肉餡餅。胖男孩看到白靈，兩眼張得老大。“那是狼？”

“A direwolf,” Jon said. “His name is Ghost. The direwolf is the sigil

of my father’s House.”

“是冰原狼，”瓊恩道，“他叫白靈。冰原狼是我父親的家徽。”

“Ours is a striding huntsman,” Samwell Tarly said.

“我們家是健步獵人。”山姆威爾·塔利說(shuō)。

“Do you like to hunt?”

“你喜歡打獵？”

The fat boy

shuddered. “I hate it.” He looked as though he was going to cry again.

胖男孩聽(tīng)了渾身發(fā)抖，“最討厭了，”他似乎又要哭起來(lái)。

“What’s wrong now?” Jon asked him. “Why are you always so

frightened?”

“又怎么了？”瓊恩問(wèn)他，“你怎么老是怕東怕西？”

Sam stared at

the last of his pork pie and gave a feeble shake of his head, too scared even

to talk. A burst of laughter filled the hall. Jon heard Pyp squeaking in a high

voice. He stood. “Let’s go outside.”

山姆盯著最后一個(gè)豬肉餡餅，虛弱地?fù)u搖頭，嚇得連話都不敢說(shuō)。大廳里突然響起一陣哄笑，瓊恩聽(tīng)到派普用假音發(fā)出怪叫。他站起身。“我們出去吧。”

The round fat

face looked up at him, suspicious. “Why? What will we do outside?”

肥大的圓臉抬起來(lái)，狐疑地看著他。“干嘛？出去做什么？”

“Talk,” Jon said. “Have you seen the Wall?”

“聊天。”瓊恩道，“你看到長(zhǎng)城了嗎？”

“I’m fat, not blind,” Samwell Tarly said. “Of course I saw it, it’s

seven hundred feet high.” Yet he stood up all the same, wrapped a fur-lined

cloak over his shoulders, and followed Jon from the common hall, still wary, as

if he suspected some cruel trick was waiting for him in the night. Ghost padded

along beside them. “I never thought it would be like this,” Sam said as they

walked, his words steaming in the cold air. Already he was huffing and puffing

as he tried to keep up. “All the buildings are falling down, and it’s

so?.?.?.?so?.?.?.?”

“我胖雖胖，眼睛可沒(méi)瞎。”山姆威爾·塔利說(shuō)，“我當(dāng)然看見(jiàn)了，它有七百尺高哩。”但他還是站了起來(lái)，裹起一件絨毛滾邊的披風(fēng)，隨瓊恩走出大廳。他依舊提心吊膽，仿佛懷疑有什么卑劣的惡作劇在門(mén)外的暗夜等候他。白靈跟在他們身邊。“我真沒(méi)想到是這樣，”山姆邊走邊說(shuō)，呼息在冷氣里凝成白霧。他光是跟上腳步，就已經(jīng)累得氣喘吁吁。“所有的房舍都破敗不堪，而且這兒好……好……”

“Cold?” A hard frost was settling over the castle, and Jon could hear

the soft crunch of grey weeds beneath his boots.

“好冷？”厚厚的凍霜正逐漸籠罩城堡，瓊恩感覺(jué)得到灰色的野草在他腳下咯啦碎裂。

Sam nodded

miserably. “I hate the cold,” he said. “Last night I woke up in the dark and

the fire had gone out and I was certain I was going to freeze to death by

morning.”

山姆悲苦地點(diǎn)頭。“我最怕冷了，”他說(shuō)，“昨晚我半夜醒來(lái)，屋里黑漆漆的，火也熄了，我本以為等到今早上，自己一定會(huì)活活凍死。”

“It must have been warmer where you come from.”

“你一定是從比較溫暖的地方來(lái)的。”

“I never saw snow until last month. We were crossing the barrowlands,

me and the men my father sent to see me north, and this white stuff began to

fall, like a soft rain. At first I thought it was so beautiful, like feathers

drifting from the sky, but it kept on and on, until I was frozen to the bone.

The men had crusts of snow in their beards and more on their shoulders, and

still it kept coming. I was afraid it would never end.”

“到上個(gè)月為止，我都沒(méi)見(jiàn)過(guò)雪。當(dāng)時(shí)我正跟家父派來(lái)送我北上的人穿越荒冢地，天上就開(kāi)始落下這種白白的東西，像陣柔軟的雨。起初我覺(jué)得好美，像是從天而降的羽毛，但它下個(gè)不停，凍得我連骨頭都快結(jié)冰。雪一直下，下到人們胡子里都是冰塊，肩膀上也積滿(mǎn)了雪，還是不停，我真怕它就這樣下個(gè)沒(méi)完。”

Jon smiled.

瓊恩只是微笑。

The Wall loomed

before them, glimmering palely in the light of the half moon. In the sky above,

the stars burned clear and sharp. “Are they going to make me go up there?” Sam

asked. His face curdled like old milk as he looked at the great wooden stairs.

“I’ll die if I have

to climb that.”

絕境長(zhǎng)城高高地聳立在他們面前，在殘?jiān)律n白的光芒照映下閃閃發(fā)亮。繁星在頭頂?shù)囊鼓恢腥紵纬憾J利。“他們會(huì)逼我上去嗎？”山姆問(wèn)，他一眼掃到城上蜿蜒的木制長(zhǎng)梯，臉頓時(shí)像結(jié)塊的酸牛奶一樣僵硬。“要我爬上去我不死才怪。”

“There’s a winch,” Jon said, pointing. “They can draw you up in a

cage.”

“那邊有個(gè)絞盤(pán)，”瓊恩指給他看，“你可以坐在鐵籠里吊上去。”

Samwell Tarly

sniffled. “I don’t like high places.”

山姆威爾·塔利哼了一聲：“我討厭高的地方。”

It was too much.

Jon frowned, incredulous. “Are you afraid of everything?” he asked. “I don’t

understand. If you are truly so craven, why are you here? Why would a coward

want to join the Night’s Watch?”

這太離譜了。瓊恩難以置信地皺起眉頭。“你到底有什么不怕？”他問(wèn)，“我真搞不懂，假如你真這么窩囊，那你干嘛來(lái)這兒？膽小鬼加入守夜人部隊(duì)做什么？”

Samwell Tarly

looked at him for a long moment, and his round face seemed to cave in on

itself. He sat down on the frost-covered ground and began to cry, huge choking

sobs that made his whole body shake. Jon Snow could only stand and watch. Like

the snowfall on the barrowlands, it seemed the tears would never end.

山姆威爾·塔利久久地注視著他，那張大圓臉?lè)路鹁鸵葸M(jìn)去。他在結(jié)霜的地面坐下，竟就這么哭了起來(lái)，抽抽噎噎，整個(gè)身體都在顫抖。瓊恩·雪諾沒(méi)了主意，只能站在一旁觀看。他的淚水如同荒冢地的雪，似乎永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)停。

It was Ghost who

knew what to do. Silent as shadow, the pale direwolf moved closer and began to

lick the warm tears off Samwell Tarly’s face. The fat boy cried out,

startled?.?.?.?and somehow, in a heartbeat, his sobs turned to laughter.

到頭來(lái)還是白靈聰明。蒼白的冰原狼像陰影一般無(wú)聲地靠過(guò)去，舔舐山姆威爾·塔利臉上溫?zé)岬臏I水。胖男孩驚叫了一聲……但不知什么緣故，轉(zhuǎn)眼間他的啜泣就變成了歡笑。

Jon Snow laughed

with him. Afterward they sat on the frozen ground, huddled in their cloaks with

Ghost between them. Jon told the story of how he and Robb had found the pups

newborn in the late summer snows. It seemed a thousand years ago now. Before

long he found himself talking of Winterfell.

瓊恩·雪諾也笑了。隨后他們一起坐在結(jié)冰的地面上，蜷縮在斗篷里，白靈窩在兩人之間。瓊恩說(shuō)起他和羅柏在夏末雪地里找到剛出生的小狼群的故事。這好像是一千年前的故事了。但很快，他發(fā)覺(jué)自己談到了臨冬城。

“Sometimes I dream about it,” he said. “I’m walking down this long

empty hall. My voice echoes all around, but no one answers, so I walk faster,

opening doors, shouting names. I don’t even know who I’m looking for. Most

nights it’s my father, but sometimes it’s Robb instead, or my little sister

Arya, or my uncle.” The thought of Benjen Stark saddened him; his uncle was

still missing. The Old Bear had sent out rangers in search of him. Ser Jaremy

Rykker had led two sweeps, and Quorin Halfhand had gone forth from the Shadow

Tower, but they’d found nothing aside from a few blazes in the trees that his

uncle had left to mark his way. In the stony highlands to the northwest, the

marks stopped abruptly and all trace of Ben Stark vanished.

“我有時(shí)候做夢(mèng)都還會(huì)回去。”他說(shuō)，“我夢(mèng)到自己走在空蕩蕩的大廳里，四壁反射著我的聲音，卻無(wú)人應(yīng)答，所以我加快腳步，打開(kāi)一扇扇門(mén)，喊著其他人的名字。我不知道自己究竟要找誰(shuí)，多半是找我父親，有時(shí)候卻是羅柏，有時(shí)又是我小妹艾莉亞，或是我叔叔。”想起至今依然下落不明的班揚(yáng)·史塔克，他不禁難過(guò)起來(lái)。熊老派了游騎兵北出長(zhǎng)城去找他。杰瑞米·萊克爵士領(lǐng)過(guò)兩次隊(duì)，“斷掌”科林則從影子塔出發(fā)，但除了叔叔在森林里偶爾留下來(lái)當(dāng)路標(biāo)的火把外，可說(shuō)一無(wú)所獲。一旦進(jìn)入陡峭的西北高地，各種記號(hào)便都突然不見(jiàn)，班揚(yáng)·史塔克的痕跡消失得無(wú)影無(wú)蹤。

“Do you ever find anyone in your dream?” Sam asked.

“在夢(mèng)中你找到人了嗎？”山姆問(wèn)。

Jon shook his

head. “No one. The castle is always empty.” He had never told anyone of the

dream, and he did not understand why he was telling Sam now, yet somehow it

felt good to talk of it. “Even the ravens are gone from the rookery, and the

stables are full of bones. That always scares me. I start to run then, throwing

open doors, climbing the tower three steps at a time, screaming for someone,

for anyone. And then I find myself in front of the door to the crypts. It’s black

inside, and I can see the steps spiraling down. Somehow I know I have to go

down there, but I don’t want to. I’m afraid of what might be waiting for me.

The old Kings of Winter are down there, sitting on their thrones with stone

wolves at their feet and iron swords across their laps, but it’s not them I’m

afraid of. I scream that I’m not a Stark, that this isn’t my place, but it’s no

good, I have to go anyway, so I start down, feeling the walls as I descend,

with no torch to light the way. It gets darker and darker, until I want to

scream.” He stopped, frowning, embarrassed. “That’s when I always wake.” His

skin cold and clammy, shivering in the darkness of his cell. Ghost would leap

up beside him, his warmth as comforting as daybreak. He would go back to sleep

with his face pressed into the direwolf s shaggy white fur. “Do you dream of

Horn Hill?” Jon asked.

瓊恩搖搖頭。“一次也沒(méi)有。城堡里總是空無(wú)一人。”他從未對(duì)人說(shuō)起過(guò)這個(gè)夢(mèng)，更不明白自己此刻為何獨(dú)對(duì)山姆敞開(kāi)胸懷，但說(shuō)出來(lái)的感覺(jué)真好。“連鳥(niǎo)巢里的烏鴉也不見(jiàn)了，馬廄里只剩下一堆枯骨，每次都把我嚇得半死。我開(kāi)始亂跑，到處開(kāi)門(mén)，三步并作兩步地爬著高塔樓梯，尖叫著別人的名字，任何人都好。最后，我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己站在通往地下墓窖的門(mén)前，里面一團(tuán)漆黑，我只能看見(jiàn)蜿蜒向下的螺旋梯。不知怎的，我很清楚自己必須下去，但我卻不想下去。我害怕等在里面的東西。古時(shí)候歷代的冬境之王都在那兒，坐在他們的王位上，石雕狼躺在腳邊，大腿橫放著鐵劍，可我怕的卻不是他們。我大聲尖叫，我告訴他們我不是史塔克家的人，此地與我無(wú)關(guān)，然而沒(méi)有用，不管怎樣我都必須下去。于是我扶著墻壁前進(jìn)，沒(méi)有火把照明，我只好慢慢往下走。路越來(lái)越暗，越來(lái)越暗，暗到我直想尖叫。”他停下來(lái)，皺起眉頭，覺(jué)得很不好意思。“每次夢(mèng)到這里，我就醒了。”他醒來(lái)時(shí)總是渾身冷汗，獨(dú)自在黑暗的臥室里發(fā)抖。這時(shí)白靈會(huì)跳到他身邊，用如朝陽(yáng)般溫暖的身軀依偎他，然后他會(huì)把臉枕在冰原狼長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的白色毛皮上，再度沉沉睡去。“你會(huì)夢(mèng)見(jiàn)角陵嗎？”

“No.” Sam’s mouth grew tight and hard. “I hated it there.” He

scratched Ghost behind the ear, brooding, and Jon let the silence breathe.

After a long while Samwell Tarly began to talk, and Jon Snow listened quietly,

and learned how it was that a self-confessed coward found himself on the Wall.

“不會(huì)。”山姆抿緊嘴唇。“我討厭那里。”他搔搔白靈耳背，陷入沉思，瓊恩也沒(méi)追問(wèn)。又過(guò)了一陣子，山姆威爾·塔利終于開(kāi)始說(shuō)話，瓊恩·雪諾則靜靜聆聽(tīng)，聽(tīng)這個(gè)自承懦弱的膽小鬼親口述說(shuō)來(lái)到絕境長(zhǎng)城的的緣由。

The Tarlys were

a family old in honor, bannermen to Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and Warden

of the South. The eldest son of Lord Randyll Tarly, Samwell was born heir to

rich lands, a strong keep, and a storied two-handed greatsword named

Heartsbane, forged of Valyrian steel and passed down from father to son near

five hundred years.

塔利家族歷史悠久，盛名遠(yuǎn)播，是高庭公爵兼南境守護(hù)梅斯·提利爾的封臣。山姆威爾乃是藍(lán)道·塔利伯爵的嫡長(zhǎng)子，生來(lái)就繼承了富饒的領(lǐng)地、堅(jiān)固的堡壘和一把傳奇的雙手巨劍。劍名“碎心”，是用瓦雷利亞鋼打造而成，父子歷代相傳，已有近五百年之久。

Whatever pride

his lord father might have felt at Samwell’s birth vanished as the boy grew up

plump, soft, and awkward. Sam loved to listen to music and make his own songs,

to wear soft velvets, to play in the castle kitchen beside the cooks, drinking

in the rich smells as he snitched lemon cakes and blueberry tarts. His passions

were books and kittens and dancing, clumsy as he was. But he grew ill at the

sight of blood, and wept to see even a chicken slaughtered. A dozen

masters-at-arms came and went at Horn Hill, trying to turn Samwell into the

knight his father wanted. The boy was cursed and caned, slapped and starved.

One man had him sleep in his chainmail to make him more martial. Another

dressed him in his mother’s clothing and paraded him through the bailey to

shame him into valor. He only grew fatter and more frightened, until Lord

Randyll’s disappointment turned to anger and then to loathing. “One time,” Sam

confided, his voice dropping from a whisper, “two men came to the castle,

warlocks from Qarth with white skin and blue lips. They slaughtered a bull

aurochs and made me bathe in the hot blood, but it didn’t make me brave as

they’d promised. I got sick and retched. Father had them scourged.”

然而不論山姆威爾誕生時(shí)，父親對(duì)兒子有著何種的驕傲，都已經(jīng)隨著他的日漸長(zhǎng)大、變得肥胖、柔弱又脾氣古怪，而全部煙消云散。山姆喜歡聽(tīng)音樂(lè)，喜歡編曲子，喜歡穿柔軟的天鵝絨，喜歡跟在城堡廚房的師傅身邊、陶醉于他調(diào)制的檸檬蛋糕和藍(lán)莓甜餅的濃郁香氣里。他的興趣在于讀書(shū)以及和小貓玩耍，手腳笨拙的他，卻又反常地?zé)釔?ài)舞蹈。只是他見(jiàn)了血就反胃，連看殺雞都會(huì)哭。角陵的教頭來(lái)了又去，試圖將山姆威爾變成他父親所期望的驍勇騎士。這孩子受過(guò)罵也挨過(guò)棍，嘗過(guò)耳光也熬過(guò)餓。有個(gè)人叫他穿著鎖子甲睡覺(jué)，好讓他習(xí)慣軍中生活。另一個(gè)人則叫他穿上母親的衣服，繞城示眾，用羞辱來(lái)激發(fā)他的男子氣概。結(jié)果他卻越來(lái)越胖，膽子越變?cè)叫。詈笏{(lán)道伯爵的失望轉(zhuǎn)成憤怒，終至厭惡。“有一次，”山姆透露，他的聲音像是悄悄話。“從魁爾斯來(lái)了兩個(gè)白皮膚藍(lán)嘴唇的男巫，他們殺了一頭野公牛，然后把我浸在溫?zé)岬孽r血里，可我并沒(méi)有像他們所說(shuō)的那樣變勇敢，我只覺(jué)得惡心，嘔吐。結(jié)果父親教他們兩個(gè)都吃了頓鞭子。”

Finally, after

three girls in as many years, Lady Tarly gave her lord husband a second son.

From that day, Lord Randyll ignored Sam, devoting all his time to the younger

boy, a fierce, robust child more to his liking. Samwell had known several years

of sweet peace with his music and his books.

在接連三年生出三個(gè)女兒后，塔利夫人終于又為伯爵產(chǎn)下第二個(gè)兒子。從那天起，藍(lán)道伯爵便不再理會(huì)山姆，而把全副精神都投注在這個(gè)年紀(jì)較小、強(qiáng)壯又有活力，怎么看都更討他歡喜的兒子身上。于是山姆威爾度過(guò)了幾年甜美的安逸歲月，沉浸在音樂(lè)和書(shū)本中。

Until the dawn

of his fifteenth name day, when he had been awakened to find his horse saddled and

ready. Three men-at-arms had escorted him into a wood near Horn Hill, where his

father was skinning a deer. “You are almost a man grown now, and my heir,” Lord

Randyll Tarly had told his eldest son, his long knife laying bare the carcass

as he spoke. “You have given me no cause to disown you, but neither will I

allow you to inherit the land and title that should be Dickon’s. Heartsbane

must go to a man strong enough to wield her, and you are not worthy to touch

her hilt. So I have decided that you shall this day announce that you wish to

take the black. You will forsake all claim to your brother’s inheritance and

start north before evenfall.

直到他十五歲命名日那天清晨，他被叫醒后，發(fā)現(xiàn)自己的馬已經(jīng)鞍轡妥當(dāng)，正等著他。三個(gè)侍衛(wèi)護(hù)送他來(lái)到角陵附近一座森林里，父親在那兒剝鹿皮。“你就快成年了，又是我的繼承人，”藍(lán)道·塔利伯爵一邊用獵刀割開(kāi)皮肉，露出里面的骨架，一邊對(duì)他的長(zhǎng)子說(shuō)，“你沒(méi)給我什么借口，我無(wú)法將你除名，但我也不會(huì)把該由狄肯繼承的領(lǐng)地和封號(hào)交給你。只有強(qiáng)壯的人才配持有”碎心“，而你連碰它的劍柄都不配。所以我作了決定，你今天就得宣布自己渴望披上黑衣，放棄一切繼承權(quán)，并在天黑前動(dòng)身北上。”

“If you do not, then on the morrow we shall have a hunt, and

somewhere in these woods your horse will stumble, and you will be thrown from

the saddle to die?.?.?.?or so I will tell your mother. She has a woman’s heart

and finds it in her to cherish even you, and I have no wish to cause her pain.

Please do not imagine that it will truly be that easy, should you think to defy

me. Nothing would please me more than to hunt you down like the pig you are.”

His arms were red to the elbow as he laid the skinning knife aside. “So. There

is your choice. The Night’s Watch,” he reached inside the deer, ripped out its

heart, and held it in his fist, red and dripping, “or this.”

“如果你不照辦，那明天我們會(huì)外出打獵，而你的馬將在林中某處跌倒，你也會(huì)飛出馬鞍摔死……至少我會(huì)這么告訴你母親。她心腸太軟，連對(duì)你這種人都疼愛(ài)有加，我不想讓她難過(guò)。你不用幻想會(huì)死得多干脆，或是有辦法抵抗，因?yàn)槲視?huì)很樂(lè)意窮追不舍，親手宰掉你這頭豬。”他拋開(kāi)獵刀，手臂到肘全都染得腥紅。“所以啰，你有兩個(gè)選擇，不是守夜人，”——他把手伸進(jìn)鹿尸，掏出心臟，血淋淋地握在手中——“就是這個(gè)。”

Sam told the

tale in a calm, dead voice, as if it were something that had happened to

someone else, not to him. And strangely, Jon thought, he did not weep, not even

once. When he was done, they sat together and listened to the wind for a time.

There was no other sound in all the world.

山姆用種平靜而死板的聲音說(shuō)著故事，仿佛這事發(fā)生在別人身上，而不是他自己。奇怪的是，瓊恩心想，他竟然停下來(lái)不哭了。他說(shuō)完后，兩人坐在一起聽(tīng)夜風(fēng)。全世界沒(méi)有旁的聲音。

Finally Jon

said, “We should go back to the common hall.”

最后瓊恩道：“我們?cè)摶卮髲d去了。”

“Why?” Sam asked.

“怎么？”

Jon shrugged.

“There’s hot cider to drink, or mulled wine if you prefer. Some nights Dareon

sings for us, if the mood is on him. He was a singer, before?.?.?.?well, not

truly, but almost, an apprentice singer.”

瓊恩聳聳肩。“那兒有熱蘋(píng)果酒可喝，不然你也可以喝燙過(guò)的葡萄酒。戴利恩心情好的話，會(huì)唱歌給我們聽(tīng)。來(lái)這兒之前，他原本……呃，是個(gè)歌手，嗯，可能不很專(zhuān)業(yè)啦，但挺不賴(lài)，算是未出師的歌手罷。”

“How did he come here?” Sam asked.

“他怎么會(huì)來(lái)這兒？”山姆問(wèn)。

“Lord Rowan of Goldengrove found him in bed with his daughter. The

girl was two years older, and Dareon swears she helped him through her window,

but under her father’s eye she named it rape, so here he is. When Maester Aemon

heard him sing, he said his voice was honey poured over thunder.” Jon smiled.

“Toad sometimes sings too, if you call it singing. Drinking songs he learned in

his father’s winesink. Pyp says his voice is piss poured over a fart.” They

laughed at that together.

“金樹(shù)城的羅宛伯爵發(fā)現(xiàn)女兒被他睡了。那個(gè)女的大他兩歲，戴利恩發(fā)誓是她幫他爬進(jìn)臥室窗戶(hù)的，可在父親嚴(yán)厲的目光下，她指稱(chēng)自己是被強(qiáng)暴，于是他就來(lái)啦。伊蒙師傅聽(tīng)過(guò)他唱歌后，說(shuō)他的聲音像加了蜜的雷。”瓊恩微笑，“陶德有時(shí)也唱歌，如果你把那也算做是歌的話。他都唱些打他爹那兒學(xué)來(lái)的飲酒歌，派普說(shuō)他的聲音是加了尿的屁。”兩人齊聲哈哈大笑。

“I should like to hear them both,” Sam admitted, “but they would not

want me there.” His face was troubled. “He’s going to make me fight again on

the morrow, isn’t he?”

“他們兩人的歌聲我都想聽(tīng)聽(tīng)，”山姆承認(rèn)。“但他們不會(huì)歡迎我的。”他滿(mǎn)臉愁容道，“他明天還會(huì)逼我打架，對(duì)吧？”

“He is,” Jon was forced to say.

“沒(méi)錯(cuò)。”瓊恩很不情愿地說(shuō)。

Sam got

awkwardly to his feet. “I had better try to sleep.” He huddled down in his

cloak and plodded off.

山姆蹣跚地站起身。“我想辦法睡一會(huì)兒好了。”他裹緊斗篷離開(kāi)。

The others were

still in the common room when Jon returned, alone but for Ghost. “Where have

you been?” Pyp asked.

瓊恩帶著白靈回到大廳時(shí)，其他人都還在。“你跑哪兒去啦？”派普問(wèn)。

“Talking with Sam,” he said.

“跟山姆聊天。”他說(shuō)。

“He truly is craven,” said Grenn. “At supper, there were still places

on the bench when he got his pie, but he was too scared to come sit with us.”

“他實(shí)在窩囊透頂，”葛蘭道，“晚上吃飯，長(zhǎng)凳上明明還有空位，可他拿了餡餅偏偏就不敢過(guò)來(lái)跟我們一起坐。”

“The Lord of Ham thinks he’s too good to eat with the likes of us,”

suggested Jeren.

“火腿大人太尊貴啦，不跟我們這種人同桌用飯的。”杰倫猜測(cè)。

“I saw him eat a pork pie,” Toad said, smirking. “Do you think it was

a brother?” He began to make oinking noises.

“你們看看他吃豬肉餅的樣子，”陶德獰笑道，“簡(jiǎn)直就是在跟兄弟敘舊。”說(shuō)完他學(xué)起了豬叫。

“Stop it!” Jon snapped angrily.

“閉嘴！”瓊恩憤怒地斥道。

The other boys

fell silent, taken aback by his sudden fury. “Listen to me,” Jon said into the

quiet, and he told them how it was going to be. Pyp backed him, as he’d known

he would, but when Halder spoke up, it was a pleasant surprise. Grenn was

anxious at the first, but Jon knew the words to move him. One by one the rest

fell in line. Jon persuaded some, cajoled some, shamed the others, made threats

where threats were required. At the end they had all agreed?.?.?.?all but Rast.

其他男孩被他突如其來(lái)的怒氣嚇住，紛紛沉默下來(lái)。“聽(tīng)我說(shuō)。”瓊恩平靜地告訴他們?cè)撛趺醋觥Ｈ缢希善照驹谒@邊，但令人驚喜的是霍德也表示支持。葛蘭起初還有些猶豫，但瓊恩知道怎樣才能說(shuō)動(dòng)他。其他人也紛紛同意。瓊恩或好言勸說(shuō)，或以利相誘，有時(shí)出言羞辱，必要的話也用武力要挾。最后所有人都愿意照他的話去做……只有雷斯特不肯。

“You girls do as you please,” Rast said, “but if Thorne sends me

against Lady Piggy, I’m going to slice me off a rasher of bacon.” He laughed in

Jon’s face and left them there.

“你們要孬種就孬種罷，”雷斯特說(shuō)，“但如果索恩叫我跟豬小姐打，我可是會(huì)好好切他一大塊火腿下來(lái)。”他當(dāng)著瓊恩的面冷笑兩聲，轉(zhuǎn)身便走。

Hours later, as

the castle slept, three of them paid a call on his cell. Grenn held his arms

while Pyp sat on his legs. Jon could hear Rast’s rapid breathing as Ghost leapt

onto his chest. The direwolf’s eyes burned red as embers as his teeth nipped

lightly at the soft skin of the boy’s throat, just enough to draw blood.

“Remember, we know where you sleep,” Jon said softly.

幾小時(shí)后，當(dāng)全城的人都在沉睡時(shí)，他們?nèi)齻€(gè)到他寢室去了一趟。當(dāng)葛蘭抓住他的手，派普坐上他的腿，白靈撲到他胸膛的時(shí)候，瓊恩可以聽(tīng)見(jiàn)雷斯特急促的喘息。冰原狼的兩眼如一對(duì)彤紅的火燼，他用牙齒輕輕劃破男孩喉嚨柔軟的皮膚，微微見(jiàn)血。“別忘了，我們知道你睡在哪兒。”瓊恩輕聲說(shuō)。

The next morning

Jon heard Rast tell Albett and Toad how his razor had slipped while he shaved.

隔天早上，瓊恩聽(tīng)見(jiàn)雷斯特對(duì)阿貝特和陶德解釋?zhuān)f(shuō)他刮胡子的時(shí)候如何不小心被剃刀刮傷。

From that day

forth, neither Rast nor any of the others would hurt Samwell Tarly. When Ser

Alliser matched them against him, they would stand their ground and swat aside

his slow, clumsy strokes. If the master-at-arms screamed for an attack, they

would dance in and tap Sam lightly on breastplate or helm or leg. Ser Alliser

raged and threatened and called them all cravens and women and worse, yet Sam

remained unhurt. A few nights later, at Jon’s urging, he joined them for the

evening meal, taking a place on the bench beside Halder. It was another

fortnight before he found the nerve to join their talk, but in time he was

laughing at Pyp’s faces and teasing Grenn with the best of them.

從那天起，不論是雷斯特或其他人，誰(shuí)都不會(huì)傷害山姆威爾·塔利。若艾里沙爵士要他們和他單打，他們就站在原地，撥開(kāi)他緩慢笨拙的攻擊。假如教頭扯著喉嚨叫他們進(jìn)攻，他們便跳到山姆身邊，然后輕輕地在他胸甲、頭盔或腳上點(diǎn)一記。艾里沙爵士氣得半死，出言脅迫，罵他們是懦夫、娘娘腔，什么難聽(tīng)的話都出了籠，但依舊沒(méi)人動(dòng)山姆半根汗毛。幾天后的一個(gè)晚上，他在瓊恩的敦促下，坐在霍德旁邊跟大家一起吃晚餐。之后又過(guò)了兩個(gè)星期，他才鼓起勇氣加入談話，很快就跟其他人一樣，被派普的鬼臉逗得哈哈大笑，然后開(kāi)起葛蘭的玩笑來(lái)。

Fat and awkward

and frightened he might be, but Samwell Tarly was no fool. One night he visited

Jon in his cell. “I don’t know what you did,” he said, “but I know you did it.”

He looked away shyly. “I’ve never had a friend before.”

山姆威爾·塔利雖然臃腫笨拙，膽子又小，但他可不笨。有天夜里，他來(lái)到瓊恩的寢室，“我不知道你做了什么，”他說(shuō)：“但我知道是你做的。”他害羞地轉(zhuǎn)開(kāi)視線。“我本來(lái)一個(gè)朋友也沒(méi)有。”

“We’re not friends,” Jon said. He put a hand on Sam’s broad shoulder.

“We’re brothers.”

“我們不是朋友，”瓊恩拍拍山姆寬闊的肩膀，“我們是兄弟。”

And so they

were, he thought to himself after Sam had taken his leave. Robb and Bran and

Rickon were his father’s sons, and he loved them still, yet Jon knew that he

had never truly been one of them. Catelyn Stark had seen to that. The grey

walls of Winterfell might still haunt his dreams, but Castle Black was his life

now, and his brothers were Sam and Grenn and Halder and Pyp and the other

cast-outs who wore the black of the Night’s Watch.

他們的確是兄弟啊，山姆離開(kāi)后，他暗自思量。羅柏、布蘭和瑞肯都是父親的孩子，他也依然愛(ài)著他們，但由于凱特琳·史塔克的關(guān)系，瓊恩知道自己終究不是他們的一分子。臨冬城的灰墻或許仍令他魂?duì)繅?mèng)縈，然而現(xiàn)在黑城堡才是他的生命皈依，他的手足兄弟則是山姆、葛蘭、霍德、派普和其他無(wú)法見(jiàn)容于社會(huì)。穿著黑衣的守夜人。

“My uncle spoke truly,” he whispered to Ghost. He wondered if he would ever see Benjen Stark

again, to tell him.

“叔叔說(shuō)得沒(méi)錯(cuò)呢。”他悄聲對(duì)白靈說(shuō)，卻不知此生能否與班揚(yáng)·史塔克重逢，好當(dāng)面感謝他。