Ⅳ 群鴉的盛宴 Chapter25 布蕾妮

BRIENNE

是海爾·亨特堅(jiān)持要帶上腦袋。“塔利會(huì)把它們插到城墻上。”他說。

It was Hyle Hunt who insisted that they take the heads. “Tarly will want them for the walls,” he said.

“我們沒焦油，”布蕾妮指出，“肉會(huì)腐爛。留下它們吧。”行經(jīng)陰森森的綠松林時(shí)，她不想提著被自己殺死的人的腦袋。

“We have no tar,” Brienne pointed out. “The flesh will rot. Leave them.” She did not want to travel through the green gloom of the piney woods with the heads of the men she’d killed.

亨特不肯依。他自行砍斷死人的頸項(xiàng)，將三顆腦袋的頭發(fā)扎到一起，掛在馬鞍上。布蕾妮別無選擇，只能盡量假裝它們不存在，但有時(shí)候，尤其是晚上，她覺得死人的眼睛看著她的后背，還有一次夢(mèng)見它們互相低語。

Hunt would not listen. He hacked through the dead men’s necks himself, tied the three heads together by the hair, and slung them from his saddle. Brienne had no choice but to try and pretend they were not there, but sometimes, especially at night, she could feel their dead eyes on her back, and once she dreamed she heard them whispering to one another.

他們?cè)贩祷亍Ｐ纷Π雿u寒冷潮濕，有些天下雨，有些天多云，從沒暖和過，甚至扎營(yíng)時(shí)，也很難找到夠多的干木頭用來生火。

It was cold and wet on Crackclaw Point as they retraced their steps. Some days it rained and some days it threatened rain. They were never warm. Even when they made camp, it was hard to find enough dry wood for a fire.

等來到女泉城，一大群蒼蠅已與他們?nèi)缬半S形，烏鴉吃掉了夏格維的眼睛，“豬崽”帕格和提蒙身上則爬滿了蛆。布蕾妮和波德瑞克早就保持在前方一百碼處騎行，以遠(yuǎn)離腐敗的味道，只有海爾爵士頑固地聲稱自己不在乎。“埋了它們。”每次扎營(yíng)過夜時(shí)，她都勸他，但亨特固執(zhí)得要命。他是不是想向藍(lán)道大人邀功，這三個(gè)都是他殺的？

By the time they reached the gates of Maidenpool, a host of flies attended them, a crow had eaten Shagwell’s eyes, and Pyg and Timeon were crawling with maggots. Brienne and Podrick had long since taken to riding a hundred yards ahead, to keep the smell of rot well behind them. Ser Hyle claimed to have lost all sense of smell by then. “Bury them,” she told him every time they made camp for a night, but Hunt was nothing if not stubborn. He will most like tell Lord Randyll that he slew all three of them.

出于榮譽(yù)感，騎士沒這么說。

To his honor, though, the knight did nothing of the sort.

他和布蕾妮被帶到慕頓家城堡的院子里見塔利。“結(jié)巴侍從扔了塊石頭，”他報(bào)告，“其余都是這使劍的妞兒干的。”三顆腦袋已交給士官，清洗干凈，涂上焦油，插到城門上。

“The stammering squire threw a rock,” he said, when he and Brienne were ushered into Tarly’s presence in the yard of Mooton’s castle. The heads had been presented to a serjeant of the guard, who was told to have them cleaned and tarred and mounted above the gate. “The swordswench did the rest.”

“三個(gè)？”藍(lán)道大人不大相信。

“All three?” Lord Randyll was incredulous.

“看她打斗的架勢(shì)，你會(huì)相信她還能再殺三個(gè)。”

“The way she fought, she could have killed three more.”

“那你有沒有找到史塔克家的女孩？”塔利問她。

“And did you find the Stark girl?” Tarly demanded of her.

“沒有，大人。”

“No, my lord.”

“宰了幾只耗子，滿意嗎？”

“Instead you slew some rats. Did you enjoy it?”

“不，大人。”

“No, my lord.”

“真可惜。好吧，你已經(jīng)嘗到鮮血的滋味，證明了你想證明的東西。是時(shí)候脫掉盔甲，穿回像樣的衣服了。港口有船，其中一艘要去塔斯，我安排你搭乘。”

“A pity. Well, you’ve had your taste of blood. Proved whatever it is you meant to prove. It’s time you took off that mail and donned proper clothes again. There are ships in port. One’s bound to stop at Tarth. I’ll have you on it.”

“感謝大人，但不用了。”

“Thank you, my lord, but no.”

塔利大人的臉色表明，他恨不得將她的腦袋也拿槍插上，掛在女泉城門口，跟提蒙、帕格和夏格維做伴。“你打算繼續(xù)這件蠢事？”

Lord Tarly’s face suggested he would have liked nothing better than to stick her own head on a spike and mount it above the gates of Maidenpool with Timeon, Pyg, and Shagwell. “You mean to continue with this folly?”

“我要找到珊莎小姐。”

“I mean to find the Lady Sansa.”

“大人，請(qǐng)聽我一言，”海爾爵士道，“我看到她跟血戲子們打斗，她比大多數(shù)男人強(qiáng)壯，動(dòng)作更快——”

“If it please my lord,” Ser Hyle said, “I watched her fight the Mummers. She is stronger than most men, and quick—”

“是那把劍快，”塔利打斷他，“瓦雷利亞鋼天性如此。比大多數(shù)男人強(qiáng)壯？沒錯(cuò)，她是個(gè)怪胎，這點(diǎn)我不否認(rèn)。”

“The sword is quick,” Tarly snapped. “That is the nature of Valyrian steel. Stronger than most men? Aye. She’s a freak of nature, far be it from me to deny it.”

不管我做什么，他這樣的人永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)喜歡我，布蕾妮心想。“大人，也許桑鐸·克里岡知道那女孩的消息。如果能找到他……”

His sort will never love me, Brienne thought, no matter what I do. “My lord, it may be that Sandor Clegane has some knowledge of the girl. If I could find him …”

“克里岡是逃犯，似乎加入了貝里·唐德利恩一伙。當(dāng)然，也可能沒有，故事版本各不相同。如果知道他躲在哪兒，我會(huì)立刻將其開膛破肚，教他死得慘不忍睹，但迄今為止，雖然吊死了幾十個(gè)匪徒，我們卻始終抓不到首領(lǐng)。克里岡、唐德利恩、紅袍僧，現(xiàn)在還有那個(gè)‘石心夫人’……連我都抓不到，你怎么找呢？”

“Clegane’s turned outlaw. He rides with Beric Dondarrion now, it would seem. Or not, the tales vary. Show me where they’re hiding, I will gladly slit their bellies open, pull their entrails out, and burn them. We’ve hanged dozens of outlaws, but the leaders still elude us. Clegane, Dondarrion, the red priest, and now this woman Stoneheart … how do you propose to find them, when I cannot?”

“大人，我……”她沒有答案，“我試試看。”

“My lord, I …” She had no good answer for him. “All I can do is try.”

“算了，去試吧。你有那封信，無須我的通行狀，但我還是會(huì)給你一份。幸運(yùn)的話，你唯一的麻煩是騎馬騎到身子散架；如若不然，被克里岡和他的狗群強(qiáng)暴完之后，他們也許會(huì)讓你活下去。那時(shí)你可以懷著狗雜種游回塔斯。”

“Try, then. You have your letter, you do not need my leave, but I’ll give it nonetheless. If you’re fortunate, all you’ll get for your trouble are saddle sores. If not, perhaps Clegane will let you live after he and his pack are done raping you. You can crawl back to Tarth with some dog’s bastard in your belly.”

布蕾妮不理會(huì)這些話。“請(qǐng)問大人，獵狗身邊有多少人？”

Brienne ignored that. “If it please my lord, how many men ride with the Hound?”

“六個(gè)，六十，六百，取決于問的是誰。”藍(lán)道·塔利顯然不想再搭理她，他轉(zhuǎn)身準(zhǔn)備離開。

“Six or sixty or six hundred. It would seem to depend on whom we ask.” Randyll Tarly had plainly had enough of the conversation. He started to turn away.

“假如我和我的侍從請(qǐng)求您安排住宿，直到——　”

“If my squire and I might beg your hospitality until—”

“隨你怎么請(qǐng)求，我不能忍受你住在我的屋檐下。”

“Beg all you want. I will not suffer you beneath my roof.”

海爾·亨特爵士踏步上前。“大人明鑒，據(jù)我所知，這兒仍是慕頓大人的領(lǐng)地。”

Ser Hyle Hunt stepped forward. “If it please my lord, I had understood that it was still Lord Mooton’s roof.”

塔利惡狠狠瞪了騎士一眼。“慕頓懦弱得像蛆蟲，別跟我提他。至于你，小姐，大家都說你父親很優(yōu)秀。倘若如此，我同情他。世上有些人生兒子，有些人生女兒，這沒辦法，但只有被詛咒的人才會(huì)得到你這樣的怪胎。無論生死，布蕾妮小姐，只要我還坐鎮(zhèn)女泉城一天，就不準(zhǔn)你再回來。”

Tarly gave the knight a venomous look. “Mooton has the courage of a worm. You will not speak to me of Mooton. As for you, my lady, it is said that your father is a good man. If so, I pity him. Some men are blessed with sons, some with daughters. No man deserves to be cursed with such as you. Live or die, Lady Brienne, do not return to Maidenpool whilst I rule here.”

言辭就像風(fēng)，布蕾妮告訴自己。它無法傷害你。由它去吧。她想說：“遵命，大人。”但話未出口，塔利已經(jīng)離開。她夢(mèng)游似的走出院子，不知要往何處去。

Words are wind, Brienne told herself. They cannot hurt you. Let them wash over you. “As you command, my lord,” she tried to say, but Tarly had gone before she got it out. She walked from the yard like one asleep, not knowing where she was going.

海爾爵士跟著她。“城里有幾家客棧。”

Ser Hyle fell in beside her. “There are inns.”

她搖搖頭，不想跟海爾·亨特說話。

She shook her head. She did not want words with Hyle Hunt.

“你還記得臭鵝酒館嗎？”

“Do you recall the Stinking Goose?”

她的斗篷上仍有那里的臭味，“什么？”

Her cloak still smelled of it. “Why?”

“明天正午在那里等我。我堂兄埃林曾被派去抓獵狗，我找他談?wù)劇！?/p>

“Meet me there on the morrow, at midday. My cousin Alyn was one of those sent out to find the Hound. I’ll speak with him.”

“為什么？”

“Why would you do that?”

“為什么不呢？假如我成功，而埃林失敗，我能笑話他好幾年。”

“Why not? If you succeed where Alyn failed, I shall be able to taunt him with that for years.”

女泉城確實(shí)有客棧，海爾爵士說得沒錯(cuò)。但其中有些在歷次劫掠中被焚毀，有待重建，保留下來的客棧里擠滿了塔利大人的士兵。那天下午，她和波德瑞克走了個(gè)遍，卻找不到床鋪。

There were still inns in Maidenpool; Ser Hyle had not been wrong. Some had burned during one sack or the other, however, and had yet to be rebuilt, and those that remained were full to bursting with men from Lord Tarly’s host. She and Podrick visited all of them that afternoon, but there were no beds to be had anywhere.

“爵士？小姐？”太陽快落山時(shí)，波德瑞克說，“這兒有船。船上有床位。吊床。或者架子床。”

“Ser? My lady?” Podrick said as the sun was going down. “There are ships. Ships have beds. Hammocks. Or bunks.”

藍(lán)道大人的手下仍在碼頭巡邏，密密麻麻，猶如爬滿三個(gè)血戲子腦袋上的蒼蠅，幸好他們的頭目認(rèn)得布蕾妮，揮手將她放行。本地漁民正將船系到岸邊準(zhǔn)備過夜，一邊叫賣當(dāng)天的漁獲，但她的興趣在大船上，那些可以在風(fēng)暴頻繁的狹海中來往的船只。這樣的船，碼頭里共有五六艘，其中一艘名叫“泰坦之女號(hào)”的三桅船正解開繩索，準(zhǔn)備趁晚潮出海。她和波德瑞克·派恩輪流詢問剩下的船只。海鷗鎮(zhèn)少女號(hào)的主人把布蕾妮當(dāng)妓女，聲明他的船不是窯子；伊班捕鯨船上的魚叉手提出要買下她的男孩；其他船的態(tài)度好一些，她在破浪號(hào)上給波德瑞克買了個(gè)橘子，這艘平底貨船剛從舊鎮(zhèn)過來，途經(jīng)泰洛西、潘托斯和暮谷城。“下一站海鷗鎮(zhèn)，”船長(zhǎng)告訴她，“然后繞過五指半島，去姐妹堡和白港——假如風(fēng)暴不太惡劣的話。告訴你哦，我的破浪號(hào)一直很干凈，老鼠沒有其他船那么多，還有新鮮雞蛋和剛攪拌出來的黃油。小姐您要搭船去北方嗎？”

Lord Randyll’s men still prowled the docks, as thick as the flies had been on the heads of the three Bloody Mummers, but their serjeant knew Brienne by sight and let her pass. The local fisherfolk were tying up for the night and crying the day’s catch, but her interest was in the larger ships that plied the stormy waters of the narrow sea. Half a dozen were in port, though one, a galleas called the Titan’s Daughter, was casting off her lines to ride out on the evening tide. She and Podrick Payne made the rounds of the ships that remained. The master of the Gulltown Girl took Brienne for a whore and told them that his ship was not a bawdy house, and a harpooner on the Ibbenese whaler offered to buy her boy, but they had better fortune elsewhere. She purchased Podrick an orange on the Seastrider, a cog just in from Oldtown by way of Tyrosh, Pentos, and Duskendale. “Gulltown next,” her captain told her, “thence around the Fingers to Sisterton and White Harbor, if the storms allow. She’s a clean ship, ’Strider, not so many rats as most, and we’ll have fresh eggs and new-churned butter aboard. Is m’lady seeking passage north?”

“不。”現(xiàn)在不去。她很想去，但是……

“No.” Not yet. She was tempted, but …

朝下一個(gè)碼頭走去時(shí)，波德瑞克緩緩挪步，猶豫地說，“爵士？小姐？假如小姐真的回家了呢？另一位小姐，我是說。爵士。珊莎夫人。”

As they were making their way to the next pier, Podrick shuffled his feet, and said, “Ser? My lady? What if my lady did go home? My other lady, I mean. Ser. Lady Sansa.”

“他們燒了她的家。”

“They burned her home.”

“但她的神在那里。神不會(huì)死。”

“Still. That’s where her gods are. And gods can’t die.”

神不會(huì)死，女孩會(huì)。“提蒙心狠手辣，殺人如麻，但我認(rèn)為獵狗的事他沒撒謊。在確定女孩不在河間地之前，我們不能北上。繼續(xù)找吧，還有船。”

Gods cannot die, but girls can. “Timeon was a cruel man and a murderer, but I do not think he lied about the Hound. We cannot go north until we know for certain. There will be other ships.”

在碼頭東端，他們終于找到棲身之處，那是一艘被暴風(fēng)雨嚴(yán)重?fù)p壞的劃槳商船，名叫密爾之女號(hào)。她嚴(yán)重傾側(cè)，失去了桅桿和一半船員，船主卻沒錢修整，因此很樂意從布蕾妮那兒賺幾個(gè)小錢，讓她和波德共享一間空艙。

At the east end of the harbor they finally found shelter for the night, aboard a storm-wracked trading galley called the Lady of Myr. She was listing badly, having lost her mast and half her crew in a storm, but her master did not have the coin he needed to refit her, so he was glad to take a few pennies from Brienne and allow her and Pod to share an empty cabin.

當(dāng)晚他們睡得很不安穩(wěn)。布蕾妮醒了三次。第一次是開始下雨時(shí)，另一次是木板“咯吱”作響，她以為機(jī)靈狄克要溜進(jìn)來殺她——這回她握住了匕首，其實(shí)屋里什么也沒有。躺在狹小黑暗的船艙中，過了好一會(huì)兒她才想起機(jī)靈狄克已經(jīng)死了。等睡意漸漸來臨，她又夢(mèng)到那些死在她手上的人。他們?cè)谒車腔玻靶λ勰ニ脛莺莸乜常瑢⑺麄兣裳芰艿乃槠欢切┧槠詫⑺龍F(tuán)團(tuán)圍住……夏格維，提蒙，帕格，沒錯(cuò)，還有藍(lán)道·塔利，瓦格·霍特，紅羅蘭·克林頓……羅蘭指間夾著一朵玫瑰。他將玫瑰伸向布蕾妮，她把他的手砍了下來。

They had a restless night. Thrice Brienne woke. Once when the rain began, and once at a creak that made her think Nimble Dick was creeping in to kill her. The second time, she woke with knife in hand, but it was nothing. In the darkness of the cramped little cabin, it took her a moment to remember that Nimble Dick was dead. When she finally drifted back to sleep, she dreamed about the men she’d killed. They danced around her, mocking her, pinching at her as she slashed at them with her sword. She cut them all to bloody ribbons, yet still they swarmed around her … Shagwell, Timeon, and Pyg, aye, but Randyll Tarly too, and Vargo Hoat, and Red Ronnet Connington. Ronnet had a rose between his fingers. When he held it out to her, she cut his hand off.

她渾身大汗淋漓地醒來，夜里剩下的時(shí)間都蜷縮在斗篷底下，傾聽雨點(diǎn)敲打頭頂?shù)募装濉＿@個(gè)夜晚風(fēng)雨交加，遠(yuǎn)處雷聲陣陣，她不由得想起那艘趁晚潮出海的布拉佛斯船。

She woke sweating, and spent the rest of the night huddled under her cloak, listening to rain pound against the deck over her head. It was a wild night. From time to time she heard the sound of distant thunder, and thought of the Braavosi ship that had sailed upon the evening tide.

第二天早上，她找到臭鵝酒館，叫醒邋遢的店主，買了些油膩膩的香腸、炸面包、半杯紅酒和一壺開水，外加兩個(gè)干凈杯子。那女人一邊煮開水，一邊斜睨布蕾妮。“你就是跟機(jī)靈狄克一起離開的大個(gè)子，我記得你。怎么著，上了他的當(dāng)？”

The next morning she found the Stinking Goose again, woke its slatternly proprietor, and paid her for some greasy sausages, fried bread, half a cup of wine, a flagon of boiled water, and two clean cups. The woman squinted at Brienne as she was putting the water on to boil. “You’re the big one went off with Nimble Dick. I remember. He cheat you?”

“沒有。”

“No.”

“強(qiáng)暴你？”

“Rape you?”

“沒有。”

“No.”

“偷你的馬？”

“Steal your horse?”

“沒有。他被歹徒殺害了。”

“No. He was slain by outlaws.”

“歹徒？”那女人似乎好奇更甚于驚慌。“我一直以為狄克會(huì)被絞死，或被送去長(zhǎng)城呢。”

“Outlaws?” The woman seemed more curious than upset. “I always figured Dick would hang, or get sent off to that Wall.”

他們吃了炸面包和一半香腸。波德瑞克就著帶紅酒味的水吃，布蕾妮則捧著兌水的紅酒，尋思自己為什么要來。海爾·亨特并非真正的騎士。他那張誠(chéng)實(shí)的臉不過是戲子的面具。我不需要他幫助，不需要他保護(hù)，不需要他，她告訴自己，他根本不會(huì)來，所謂見面只不過是又一個(gè)惡作劇。

They ate the fried bread and half the sausages. Podrick Payne washed his down with wine-flavored water whilst Brienne nursed a cup of watered wine and wondered why she’d come. Hyle Hunt was no true knight. His honest face was just a mummer’s mask. I do not need his help, I do not need his protection, and I do not need him, she told herself. He is probably not even coming. Telling me to meet him here was just another jape.

她正要起身離開，海爾爵士進(jìn)來了。“小姐。波德瑞克。”他瞥了一眼杯子和盤子，吃剩一半的香腸躺在一攤油脂里，已然涼了。“天哪，我希望你們別吃這兒的東西。”

She was getting up to go when Ser Hyle arrived. “My lady. Podrick.” He glanced at the cups and plates and the half-eaten sausages cooling in a puddle of grease, and said, “Gods, I hope you did not eat the food here.”

“吃不吃關(guān)你什么事，”布蕾妮說，“找到你堂兄了嗎？他說了些什么？”

“What we ate is no concern of yours,” Brienne said. “Did you find your cousin? What did he tell you?”

“最后有人看到桑鐸·克里岡是在鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)，就是打劫那天，之后他沿三叉戟河向西騎去。”

“Sandor Clegane was last seen in Saltpans, the day of the raid. Afterward he rode west, along the Trident.”

她皺起眉頭，“三叉戟河很長(zhǎng)。”

She frowned. “The Trident is a long river.”

“對(duì)，但我們的狗兒不會(huì)游蕩得離河口太遠(yuǎn)。維斯特洛似乎對(duì)他失去了吸引力。知道嗎？在鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)，他是在找船。”海爾爵士從靴子里抽出一卷羊皮，推開香腸，將它展開。這是一張地圖。“獵狗在十字路口的老客棧里殺死三個(gè)他哥哥的人，這兒；然后帶頭打劫鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)，這兒。”他用手指敲打鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)。”他被困住了。佛雷家在上游的孿河城，往南穿過三叉戟河是戴瑞城和赫倫堡，西面的布萊克伍德家和布雷肯家正在開戰(zhàn)，藍(lán)道大人在這兒，女泉城。而即便他不怕山地部落，前往谷地的山路也已被雪封住。一條狗能上哪里去呢？”

“Aye, but I don’t think our dog will have wandered too far from its mouth. Westeros has lost its charm for him, it would seem. At Saltpans he was looking for a ship.” Ser Hyle drew a roll of sheepskin from his boot, pushed the sausages aside, and unrolled it. It proved to be a map. “The Hound butchered three of his brother’s men at the old inn by the crossroads, here. He led the raid on Saltpans, here.” He tapped Saltpans with his finger. “He may be trapped. The Freys are up here at the Twins, Darry and Harrenhal are south across the Trident, west he’s got the Blackwoods and the Brackens fighting, and Lord Randyll’s here at Maidenpool. The high road to the Vale is closed by snow, even if he could get past the mountain clans. Where’s a dog to go?”

“如果他和唐德利恩在一起……”

“If he is with Dondarrion …?”

“他沒有。埃林可以肯定這點(diǎn)，因?yàn)樘频吕鞯娜艘苍谡宜P(yáng)言要吊死他，為了他在鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)干的事。這事與他們無關(guān)，藍(lán)道大人放話說他們參與了劫掠，目的是為了讓平民們起來反對(duì)貝里的兄弟會(huì)。只要老百姓在保護(hù)閃電大王，就永遠(yuǎn)抓不到他。附近另有一支隊(duì)伍，由那個(gè)叫‘石心夫人’的女人帶領(lǐng)……據(jù)一則故事所述，她是貝里伯爵的情人，被佛雷家絞死后，經(jīng)由唐德利恩的親吻而復(fù)活。現(xiàn)在她跟他一樣，都是不死之身。”布蕾妮仔細(xì)觀察地圖。“如果克里岡最后被發(fā)現(xiàn)的地方是鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)，應(yīng)該從那里下手。”

“He’s not. Alyn is certain of that. Dondarrion’s men are looking for him too. They have put out word that they mean to hang him for what he did at Saltpans. They had no part of that. Lord Randyll is putting it about that they did in hopes of turning the commons against Beric and his brotherhood. He will never take the lightning lord so long as the smallfolk are protecting him. And there’s this other band, led by this woman Stoneheart … Lord Beric’s lover, according to one tale. Supposedly she was hanged by the Freys, but Dondarrion kissed her and brought her back to life, and now she cannot die, no more than he can.” Brienne considered the map. “If Clegane was last seen at Saltpans, that would be the place to find his trail.”

“鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)沒剩下什么人，埃林說，只有一個(gè)老騎士躲在他的城堡里。”

“There is no one left at Saltpans but an old knight hiding in his castle, Alyn said.”

“盡管如此，還是得從那地方開始找。”

“Still, it would be a place to start.”

“有一個(gè)人，”海爾爵士道，“一個(gè)修士，他在你到來的前一天進(jìn)入我看管的城門。此人名叫梅里巴德，是土生土長(zhǎng)的三河人，并一生都在這兒效力。他明天就要?jiǎng)由硌灿危看窝灿味紩?huì)造訪鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)。我們跟他一起走吧。”

“There’s a man,” Ser Hyle said. “A septon. He came in through my gate the day before you turned up. Meribald, his name is. River-born and river-bred and he’s served here all his life. He’s departing on the morrow to make his circuit, and he always calls at Saltpans. We should go with him.”

布蕾妮猛地抬起眼睛。“我們？”

Brienne looked up sharply. “We?”

“我跟你們一起走。”

“I am going with you.”

“不行。”

“You’re not.”

“好吧，我跟梅里巴德修士一起去鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)。你和波德瑞克愛去哪兒去哪兒。”

“Well, I’m going with Septon Meribald to Saltpans. You and Podrick can go wherever you bloody well like.”

“藍(lán)道大人又命令你跟著我？”

“Did Lord Randyll command you to follow me again?”

“他命令我離你遠(yuǎn)點(diǎn)。藍(lán)道大人認(rèn)為，被狠狠地強(qiáng)暴一次也許對(duì)你有好處。”

“He commanded me to stay away from you. Lord Randyll is of the view that you might benefit from a good hard raping.”

“那你為什么跟著我？”

“Then why would you come with me?”

“要么如此，要么回去看門。”

“It was that, or return to gate duty.”

“你的主人命令你——　”

“If your lord commanded—”

“事實(shí)上，他不是我的主人了。”

“He is no longer my lord.”

她怔了一怔。“你不再為他效力了？”

That took her aback. “You left his service?”

“伯爵大人通知我，他不再需要我的劍了，或者說不再容忍我的傲慢無禮。反正結(jié)果都一樣。從此以后，我準(zhǔn)備享受雇傭騎士的冒險(xiǎn)生活……不過要真找到珊莎·史塔克，我們肯定能得到豐厚的獎(jiǎng)賞。”

“His lordship informed me that he had no further need of my sword, or my insolence. It amounts to the same thing. Henceforth I shall enjoy the adventuresome life of a hedge knight … though if we do find Sansa Stark, I imagine we will be well rewarded.”

金錢和土地，他看中的是這些。“我想救那女孩，不是賣她。我立過誓。”

Gold and land, that’s what he sees in this. “I mean to save the girl, not sell her. I swore a vow.”

“我不記得我立過誓。”

“I don’t recall that I did.”

“所以你不能跟著我。”

“That is why you will not be coming with me.”

第二天早上太陽升起時(shí)，他們出發(fā)了。

They left the next morning, as the sun was coming up.

這是一支怪異的隊(duì)伍：海爾爵士騎在栗色戰(zhàn)馬上，布蕾妮騎高大的灰母馬，波德瑞克·派恩騎一匹駝背劣馬，而梅里巴德修士手持木杖走在旁邊，領(lǐng)著一頭小毛驢和一只大狗。那頭驢子馱的貨物如此沉重，布蕾妮有點(diǎn)擔(dān)心會(huì)把它的背壓斷。“都是吃的，帶給貧窮饑餓的三河百姓，”梅里巴德修士在女泉城門口解釋，“種籽、堅(jiān)果和干果，燕麥粥，面粉，大麥面包，三輪出自小丑門邊那家客棧的黃奶酪，我自己吃的腌鱈魚，狗兒吃的腌羊肉……噢，還有鹽。洋蔥，胡蘿卜，蕪菁，兩袋豆子，四袋大麥，九只橘子——我坦白，橘子是我的軟肋，這幾只都是特意從水手那兒弄來的，也許是春天來臨之前能嘗到的最后幾個(gè)。”

It was a queer procession: Ser Hyle on a chestnut courser and Brienne on her tall grey mare, Podrick Payne astride his swayback stot, and Septon Meribald walking beside them with his quarterstaff, leading a small donkey and a large dog. The donkey carried such a heavy load that Brienne was half afraid its back would break. “Food for the poor and hungry of the riverlands,” Septon Meribald told them at the gates of Maidenpool. “Seeds and nuts and dried fruit, oaten porridge, flour, barley bread, three wheels of yellow cheese from the inn by the Fool’s Gate, salt cod for me, salt mutton for Dog … oh, and salt. Onions, carrots, turnips, two sacks of beans, four of barley, and nine of oranges. I have a weakness for the orange, I confess. I got these from a sailor, and I fear they will be the last I’ll taste till spring.”

梅里巴德是個(gè)沒有圣堂的修土，在教會(huì)的等級(jí)階層中，地位僅比乞丐幫兄弟高一點(diǎn)。七國(guó)上下有數(shù)以百計(jì)像他這樣衣衫襤褸的修士，從事基層工作，在各個(gè)骯臟的小村莊間跋涉，執(zhí)行宗教儀式，主持婚禮與懺悔。理論上講，凡是他造訪之處，人們應(yīng)該供給食物與住宿，但老百姓大多跟他一樣貧窮，因此梅里巴德要是在一個(gè)地方逗留太久就會(huì)造成宿主的困難。好心的店家有時(shí)準(zhǔn)許他睡廚房或馬廄，有些修道院、莊園，甚至少數(shù)城堡也會(huì)接納他，得不到便利時(shí)，他就睡樹下或籬笆后面。“河間地有許多好籬笆，”梅里巴德說，“越老越好，沒什么比得上一百年沒人管的籬笆叢了。在那里面，正派人睡得跟住客棧一樣暖和，還不用擔(dān)心跳蚤。”

Meribald was a septon without a sept, only one step up from a begging brother in the hierarchy of the Faith. There were hundreds like him, a ragged band whose humble task it was to trudge from one flyspeck of a village to the next, conducting holy services, performing marriages, and forgiving sins. Those he visited were expected to feed and shelter him, but most were as poor as he was, so Meribald could not linger in one place too long without causing hardship to his hosts. Kindly innkeeps would sometimes allow him to sleep in their kitchens or their stables, and there were septries and holdfasts and even a few castles where he knew he would be given hospitality. Where no such places were at hand, he slept beneath the trees or under hedges. “There are many fine hedges in the riverlands,” Meribald said. “The old ones are the best. There’s nothing beats a hundred-year-old hedge. Inside one of those a man can sleep as snug as at an inn, and with less fear of fleas.”

修士愉快地承認(rèn)，他不識(shí)讀寫，但會(huì)念上百種禱詞，能背誦《七星圣書》中長(zhǎng)長(zhǎng)的段落，農(nóng)民們用得上的也就這些。他的臉很粗糙，乃是長(zhǎng)年風(fēng)吹日曬所致，一頭蓬厚濃密的灰發(fā)，眼角牽著皺紋。盡管高達(dá)六尺，身材粗壯，他走路卻有點(diǎn)駝，遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)看去矮了許多。他的手大，布滿繭疤，紅紅的指關(guān)節(jié)，指甲里凈是泥塵，此外，他還有一雙布蕾妮畢生所見最大的腳丫，那雙腳從不穿鞋，覆蓋著又黑又硬的老繭。

The septon could neither read nor write, as he cheerfully confessed along the road, but he knew a hundred different prayers and could recite long passages from The Seven-Pointed Star from memory, which was all that was required in the villages. He had a seamed, windburnt face, a shock of thick grey hair, wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. Though a big man, six feet tall, he had a way of hunching forward as he walked that made him seem much shorter. His hands were large and leathery, with red knuckles and dirt beneath the nails, and he had the biggest feet that Brienne had ever seen, bare and black and hard as horn.

“二十年來我沒穿過一雙鞋喲，”他告訴布蕾妮，“第一年，腳上的水泡比腳趾頭還多，每當(dāng)踩到硬石頭，腳底就像殺豬般鮮血直流，但我不停祈禱，于是天上的鞋匠神將我的皮膚變得跟皮革一樣柔韌。”

“I have not worn a shoe in twenty years,” he told Brienne. “The first year, I had more blisters than I had toes, and my soles would bleed like pigs whenever I trod on a hard stone, but I prayed and the Cobbler Above turned my skin to leather.”

“天上沒有鞋匠神。”波德瑞克提出異議。

“There is no cobbler above,” Podrick protested.

“有的，孩子……你或許叫他別的名字。告訴我，七神當(dāng)中你最愛哪位？”

“There is, lad … though you may call him by another name. Tell me, which of the seven gods do you love best?”

“戰(zhàn)士。”波德瑞克毫不猶豫。

“The Warrior,” said Podrick without a moment’s hesitation.

布蕾妮清清嗓子。“在暮臨廳，我父親的修士總是說，只有一個(gè)上帝。”

Brienne cleared her throat. “At Evenfall my father’s septon always said that there was but one god.”

“上帝有七種形象，正是如此，女士，你指出這點(diǎn)沒錯(cuò)，但七位一體的神啟并非平常百姓可以領(lǐng)會(huì)，而我又笨嘴拙舌，因此就說有七個(gè)神。”梅里巴德轉(zhuǎn)回來面對(duì)波德瑞克。“我認(rèn)識(shí)的男孩沒有一個(gè)不愛戰(zhàn)士。然而我老了，老人愛鐵匠。沒有鐵匠的勞作，戰(zhàn)士守護(hù)什么呢？瞧，每個(gè)鎮(zhèn)子，每座城堡都有鐵匠。他們制造我們耕地種莊稼用的犁，制造我們修船的釘子，制造馬蹄鐵保護(hù)我們忠誠(chéng)馬兒的蹄子，還有領(lǐng)主老爺們閃亮的寶劍。鐵匠的價(jià)值毋庸置疑，因此我們才將其尊為七神之一，其實(shí)稱其為農(nóng)夫、漁民、木工或鞋匠也一樣。他究竟干哪樣活并不重要。重要的是他在干活。天父主宰，戰(zhàn)士打仗，鐵匠勞作，合起來代表著男人理應(yīng)履行的職責(zé)。鐵匠是神性的一個(gè)化身，正如鞋匠是鐵匠的一個(gè)化身。他聽見我的祈禱，治好了我的腳。”

“One god with seven aspects. That’s so, my lady, and you are right to point it out, but the mystery of the Seven Who Are One is not easy for simple folk to grasp, and I am nothing if not simple, so I speak of seven gods.” Meribald turned back to Podrick. “I have never known a boy who did not love the Warrior. I am old, though, and being old, I love the Smith. Without his labor, what would the Warrior defend? Every town has a smith, and every castle. They make the plows we need to plant our crops, the nails we use to build our ships, iron shoes to save the hooves of our faithful horses, the bright swords of our lords. No one could doubt the value of a smith, and so we name one of the Seven in his honor, but we might as easily have called him the Farmer or the Fisherman, the Carpenter or the Cobbler. What he works at makes no matter. What matters is, he works. The Father rules, the Warrior fights, the Smith labors, and together they perform all that is rightful for a man. Just as the Smith is one aspect of the godhead, the Cobbler is one aspect of the Smith. It was he who heard my prayer and healed my feet.”

“諸神慈悲，”海爾干巴巴地說，“但你完全可以穿著鞋子，何必麻煩神靈呢？”

“The gods are good,” Ser Hyle said in a dry voice, “but why trouble them, when you might just have kept your shoes?”

“赤腳是我贖罪的方式。最神圣的修士也可能犯罪，而我的肉體軟弱之極。想當(dāng)年我年輕氣盛，那些女孩子……倘若村子方圓一里之內(nèi)只有你一個(gè)男人，那么修士看上去也像王子一樣英勇高貴。我為她們背誦《七星圣書》，哦，《少女之卷》最有效。是的，我在扔掉鞋子之前，是個(gè)道德敗壞的人。想起那些被我玷污的少女們，我就感到羞愧。”

“Going barefoot was my penance. Even holy septons can be sinners, and my flesh was weak as weak could be. I was young and full of sap, and the girls … a septon can seem as gallant as a prince if he is the only man you know who has ever been more than a mile from your village. I would recite to them from The Seven-Pointed Star. The Maiden’s Book worked best. Oh, I was a wicked man, before I threw away my shoes. It shames me to think of all the maidens I deflowered.”

布蕾妮不自在地在馬鞍里挪動(dòng)，回想起高庭城下的營(yíng)地，回想起海爾爵士他們打的賭，賭誰能先跟她上床。

Brienne shifted in the saddle uncomfortably, thinking back to the camp below the walls of Highgarden and the wager Ser Hyle and the others had made to see who could bed her first.

“我們?cè)趯ふ乙晃簧倥辈ǖ氯鹂恕づ啥魍嘎叮耙晃皇龤q的貴族處女，棗紅色頭發(fā)。”

“We’re looking for a maiden,” confided Podrick Payne. “A highborn girl of three-and-ten, with auburn hair.”

“我以為你們找的是土匪。”

“I had understood that you were seeking outlaws.”

“也要找他們。”波德瑞克承認(rèn)。

“Them too,” Podrick admitted.

“旅行者都會(huì)盡量避開土匪，”梅里巴德修士說，“你們卻要找他們。”

“Most travelers do all they can to avoid such men,” said Septon Meribald, “yet you would seek them out.”

“我們只找一個(gè)匪徒，”布蕾妮說，“獵狗。”

“We only seek one outlaw,” Brienne said. “The Hound.”

“這事兒海爾爵士跟我說了。愿七神保佑你，孩子，據(jù)說他殺了一大批嬰兒，蹂躪了許多少女，人們叫他‘鹽場(chǎng)鎮(zhèn)的瘋狗’。正派人為什么要跟這樣的畜生打交道呢？”

“So Ser Hyle told me. May the Seven save you, child. It’s said he leaves a trail of butchered babes and ravished maids behind him. The Mad Dog of Saltpans, I have heard him called. What would good folk want with such a creature?”

“波德瑞克說的那個(gè)少女也許跟他在一起。”

“The maid that Podrick spoke of may be with him.”

“真的？那我們得為那可憐的女孩祈禱了。”

“Truly? Then we must pray for the poor girl.”

也為我祈禱吧，布蕾妮心想，為我念一段禱詞。請(qǐng)求老嫗舉起金燈，引領(lǐng)我找到珊莎小姐，請(qǐng)求戰(zhàn)士賜予我力量，好讓我保護(hù)她。然而她沒有說出來，如果海爾·亨特聽到這些話，便會(huì)嘲笑女人的軟弱。

And for me, thought Brienne, a prayer for me as well. Ask the Crone to raise her lamp and lead me to the Lady Sansa, and the Warrior to give strength to my arm so that I might defend her. She did not say the words aloud, though; not where Hyle Hunt might hear her and mock her for her woman’s weakness.

梅里巴德修士徒步行進(jìn)，而他的驢子又有沉重負(fù)擔(dān)，因此他們一整天都只能緩緩前進(jìn)。他們沒順大路向西走，當(dāng)初布蕾妮就是經(jīng)由這條路跟詹姆爵士一起來到遭洗劫后尸體遍布的女泉城的。他們折向西北，沿螃蟹灣有條曲曲彎彎的小徑，小到海爾爵士那些珍貴的羊皮紙地圖上全找不著。這一側(cè)看不到陡峭山嶺，黑黝黝的沼澤或蟹爪半島的松林，土地低洼潮濕，藍(lán)灰色天空籠罩下盡是荒蕪的沙丘和鹽沼，道路時(shí)而消失在野草和潮水坑間，過了一里地才再次顯現(xiàn)。布蕾妮知道，若非梅里巴德，他們一定會(huì)迷路。地面很軟，因此有些地方，修士會(huì)走到前面，用木杖敲打，確保可以立足。方圓若干里格之內(nèi)都沒有樹，只有海、天空和沙子。

With Septon Meribald afoot and his donkey bearing such a heavy load, the going was slow all that day. They did not take the main road west, the road that Brienne had once ridden with Ser Jaime when they came the other way to find Maidenpool sacked and full of corpses. Instead they struck off toward the northwest, following the shore of the Bay of Crabs on a crooked track so small that it did not appear on either of Ser Hyle’s precious sheepskin maps. The steep hills, black bogs, and piney woods of Crackclaw Point were nowhere to be found this side of Maidenpool. The lands they traveled through were low and wet, a wilderness of sandy dunes and salt marshes beneath a vast blue-grey vault of sky. The road was prone to vanishing amongst the reeds and tidal pools, only to appear again a mile farther on; without Meribald, Brienne knew, they surely would have lost their way. The ground was often soft, so in places the septon would walk ahead, tapping with his quarterstaff to make certain of the footing. There were no trees for leagues around, just sea and sky and sand.

天下沒有哪個(gè)地方比塔斯更美，那兒有山嶺和瀑布，有高山牧場(chǎng)與幽影山谷，但此地亦有其動(dòng)人之處。他們穿越了十幾條和緩的小河，青蛙和蟋蟀在其中生活，燕鷗在海灣的高空中滑翔，磯鷂在沙丘上嗚叫。有一次，一只狐貍穿過他們行走的道路，讓梅里巴德的狗狂吠起來。

No land could have been more different from Tarth, with its mountains and waterfalls, its high meadows and shadowed vales, yet this place had its own beauty, Brienne thought. They crossed a dozen slow-flowing streams alive with frogs and crickets, watched terns floating high above the bay, heard the sandpipers calling from amongst the dunes. Once a fox crossed their path, and set Meribald’s dog to barking wildly.

這里還有人。有些居住在野草叢中泥土與茅草搭的房子里，其余的在海灣中乘著皮革小圓舟捕魚，并把他們的家筑在沙丘頂端歪歪扭扭的木竿子上。大多人似乎是獨(dú)居，沒有過多的交流，像是很害羞，但到得正午，梅里巴德的狗又叫起來，三個(gè)女人從野草叢中鉆出，塞給梅里巴德一個(gè)草織籃子，里面裝滿了蛤。他給她們一人一只橘子作為回報(bào)，盡管在這片土地上，蛤跟爛泥一樣普通，而橘子稀有昂貴。其中一個(gè)女子年紀(jì)很大，另一個(gè)懷了孩子，還有一個(gè)是清新漂亮的女孩，仿佛春天的花朵。梅里巴德去聽她們懺悔時(shí)，海爾爵士竊笑，“她們才是諸神的化身……少女、圣母和老嫗。”波德瑞克看上去如此驚詫，布雷妮不得不告訴他：這只不過是三個(gè)沼澤女人。

And there were people too. Some lived amongst the reeds in houses built of mud and straw, whilst others fished the bay in leather coracles and built their homes on rickety wooden stilts above the dunes. Most seemed to live alone, out of sight of any human habitation but their own. They seemed a shy folk for the most part, but near midday the dog began to bark again, and three women emerged from the reeds to give Meribald a woven basket full of clams. He gave each of them an orange in return, though clams were as common as mud in this world, and oranges were rare and costly. One of the women was very old, one was heavy with child, and one was a girl as fresh and pretty as a flower in spring. When Meribald took them off to hear their sins, Ser Hyle chuckled, and said, “It would seem the gods walk with us … at least the Maiden, the Mother, and the Crone.” Podrick looked so astonished that Brienne had to tell him no, they were only three marsh women.

繼續(xù)上路后，她問修士：“這些人住的地方離女泉城不滿一天騎程，為何戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)沒有殃及他們？”

Afterward, when they resumed their journey, she turned to the septon, and said, “These people live less than a day’s ride from Maidenpool, and yet the fighting has not touched them.”

“他們沒什么可被殃及的，小姐。他們的財(cái)產(chǎn)是貝殼、石頭和皮革小舟，他們最好的武器是生銹的小刀。他們生老病死，愛其所愛。他們知道慕頓大人統(tǒng)治著這片土地，但少有人見過他，奔流城和君臨對(duì)他們來說則只不過是名字。”

“They have little to touch, my lady. Their treasures are shells and stones and leather boats, their finest weapons knives of rusted iron. They are born, they live, they love, they die. They know Lord Mooton rules their lands, but few have ever seen him, and Riverrun and King’s Landing are only names to them.”

“然而他們信仰諸神，”布蕾妮說，“我想那都是你的功勞。你在河間地行走多少年了？”

“And yet they know the gods,” said Brienne. “That is your work, I think. How long have you walked the riverlands?”

“快四十年了，”修士說，他的狗響亮地應(yīng)和了一聲，“從女泉城到女泉城，我走一圈需要半年，或許更久，但我不會(huì)說自己了解三叉戟河。我只遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)地瞥過大領(lǐng)主的城堡，但我熟悉市鎮(zhèn)與莊園，熟悉那些小得連名字都沒有的村莊，熟悉籬笆與山嶺，熟悉可以讓口渴的人喝上水的小溪和旅人們棲身的山洞，熟悉老百姓走的路。是的，羊皮紙上沒有那些泥濘曲折的小徑，但我都清楚。”他咯咯笑道。“我當(dāng)然清楚嘍，我這雙赤腳跨過每里地不下十遍。”

“It will be forty years soon,” the septon said, and his dog gave a loud bark. “From Maidenpool to Maidenpool, my circuit takes me half a year and ofttimes more, but I will not say I know the Trident. I glimpse the castles of the great lords only at a distance, but I know the market towns and holdfasts, the villages too small to have a name, the hedges and the hills, the rills where a thirsty man can drink and the caves where he can shelter. And the roads the smallfolk use, the crooked muddy tracks that do not appear on parchment maps, I know them too.” He chuckled. “I should. My feet have trod every mile of them, ten times over.”

偏僻的小路給土匪走，山洞則是逃犯躲藏的好地方。布蕾妮不禁生出一絲懷疑：海爾爵士對(duì)此人究竟有多了解？“你一定過著孤獨(dú)的生活，修士。”

The back roads are the ones the outlaws use, and the caves would make fine places for hunted men to hide. A prickle of suspicion made Brienne wonder just how well Ser Hyle knew this man. “It must make for a lonely life, septon.”

“七神始終與我同在，”梅里巴德回答，“我還有忠實(shí)的仆人，還有狗兒。”

“The Seven are always with me,” said Meribald, “and I have my faithful servant, and Dog.”

“你的狗有名字嗎？”波德瑞克·派恩問。

“Does your dog have a name?” asked Podrick Payne.

“他一定是有的，”梅里巴德說，“但他不是我的狗，呵呵。”

“He must,” said Meribald, “but he is not my dog. Not him.”

狗搖著尾巴叫了一聲。他個(gè)頭大，毛發(fā)蓬松，至少十石重，但很友善。

The dog barked and wagged his tail. He was a huge, shaggy creature, ten stone of dog at least, but friendly.

“那他屬于誰呢？”波德瑞克問。

“Who does he belong to?” asked Podrick.

“啊，他當(dāng)然屬于他自己和七神嘍。至于名字嘛，他沒告訴我。我叫他狗兒。”

“Why, to himself, and to the Seven. As to his name, he has not told me what it is. I call him Dog.”

“哦。”顯然波德瑞克不理解一條名叫狗兒的狗。男孩琢磨了一陣子，“我小時(shí)候有過一條狗。我叫他英雄。”

“Oh.” Podrick did not know what to make of a dog named Dog, plainly. The boy chewed on that a while, then said, “I used to have a dog when I was little. I called him Hero.”

“他是嗎？”

“Was he?”

“是什么？”

“Was he what?”

“英雄。”

“A hero.”

“不是。但它是條好狗。它死了。”

“No. He was a good dog, though. He died.”

“旅途中，狗兒會(huì)保護(hù)我的安全，即使是如此的艱難時(shí)代，有狗兒在身邊，狼和歹徒都不敢騷擾我。”修士皺起眉頭。“最近，狼群變得很可怕，某些地方，單身旅人得睡在樹上。我從前見過最大的狼群不過十來頭，現(xiàn)下沿三叉戟河巡弋的大狼群里，狼的數(shù)目需以百計(jì)。”

“Dog keeps me safe upon the roads, even in such trying times as these. Neither wolf nor outlaw dare molest me when Dog is at my side.” The septon frowned. “The wolves have grown terrible of late. There are places where a man alone would do well to find a tree to sleep in. In all my years the biggest pack I ever saw had fewer than a dozen wolves in it, but the great pack that prowls along the Trident now numbers in the hundreds.”

“你有沒有親身遭遇過？”海爾爵士問。

“Have you come on them yourself?” Ser Hyle asked.

“諸神保佑，我沒有，但我在夜里不止一次地聽見它們嗥叫。層層疊疊的嗥叫聲……令人血液凝固，連狗兒都顫抖起來，而狗兒殺過十幾頭狼呢。”他揉揉狗的腦袋。“有人會(huì)告訴你，它們是惡魔，他們說狼群由一頭可怕的母狼帶領(lǐng)，高傲碩大的灰色身影令人望而生畏。她能獨(dú)力殺死野牛，沒有任何陷阱或圈套能逮住她，她不怕鐵也不怕火，所有想騎她的狼全被她殺了。而且她不吃別的，專以人肉為食。”

“I have been spared that, Seven save me, but I have heard them in the night, and more than once. So many voices … a sound to curdle a man’s blood. It even set Dog to shivering, and Dog has killed a dozen wolves.” He ruffled the dog’s head. “Some will tell you that they are demons. They say the pack is led by a monstrous she-wolf, a stalking shadow grim and grey and huge. They will tell you that she has been known to bring aurochs down all by herself, that no trap nor snare can hold her, that she fears neither steel nor fire, slays any wolf that tries to mount her, and devours no other flesh but man.”

海爾·亨特爵士哈哈大笑。“這下可好，修士，可憐的波德瑞克眼睛瞪得像雞蛋。”

Ser Hyle Hunt laughed. “Now you’ve done it, septon. Poor Podrick’s eyes are big as boiled eggs.”

“我沒有。”波德瑞克憤憤不平地說。狗兒叫了一聲。

“They’re not,” said Podrick, indignant. Dog barked.

當(dāng)晚，他們?cè)谏城鹬g搭了個(gè)冷冰冰的營(yíng)地。布蕾妮派波德瑞克到岸邊走走，尋找取火用的浮木，但他空著手回來，泥漿一直覆蓋到膝蓋。“退潮了，爵士。小姐。沒有水，只有泥灘。”

That night they made a cold camp in the dunes. Brienne sent Podrick walking by the shore to find some driftwood for a fire, but he came back empty-handed, with mud up to his knees. “The tide’s out, ser. My lady. There’s no water, only mudflats.”

“離泥漿遠(yuǎn)點(diǎn)，孩子，”梅里巴德修士勸告。“爛泥不喜歡陌生人。假如你走錯(cuò)地方，冷不防便會(huì)被它張口吞沒。”

“Stay off the mud, child,” counseled Septon Meribald. “The mud is not fond of strangers. If you walk in the wrong place, it will open up and swallow you.”

“只是爛泥而已。”波德瑞克堅(jiān)持。

“It’s only mud,” insisted Podrick.

“它灌滿你的嘴，爬進(jìn)鼻子，接著是死亡。”他笑笑，以去除話語中的寒意。“擦掉泥漿，吃瓣橘子吧，孩子。”

“Until it fills your mouth and starts creeping up your nose. Then it’s death.” He smiled to take the chill off his words. “Wipe off that mud and have a slice of orange, lad.”

第二天的情況差不多。他們拿腌鱈魚和幾瓣橘子當(dāng)早餐，在太陽完全升起之前就上路了。身后是粉色的天空，前方是紫色，狗兒當(dāng)先帶路，嗅著每一束野革，不時(shí)停下來在草邊撒尿；它似乎跟梅里巴德一樣熟悉這條路。燕鷗的叫聲在空中激蕩，潮水涌進(jìn)來。

The next day was more of the same. They broke their fast on salt cod and more orange slices, and were on their way before the sun was wholly risen, with a pink sky behind them and a purple sky ahead. Dog led the way, sniffing at every clump of reeds and stopping every now and then to piss on one; he seemed to know the road as well as Meribald. The cries of terns shivered through the morning air as the tide came rushing in.

正午時(shí)分，他們?cè)谝粋€(gè)小村莊停留，這是他們遇到的第一個(gè)村子，在小溪旁用木樁一共架起八座房子。男人們乘小圓舟出去捕魚了，婦女和男孩順著搖搖晃晃的繩梯爬下來，聚攏在梅里巴德修士身邊祈禱。儀式過后，他宣布免除他們的罪孽，分給他們一些蕪菁、一袋豆子和兩只珍貴的橘子。

Near midday they stopped at a tiny village, the first they had encountered, where eight of the stilt-houses loomed above a small stream. The men were out fishing in their coracles, but the women and young boys clambered down dangling rope ladders and gathered around Septon Meribald to pray. After the service he absolved their sins and left them with some turnips, a sack of beans, and two of his precious oranges.

回到路上，修士說，“今晚最好有人守夜，朋友們。村民說看見三個(gè)殘人躲在沙丘附近，舊嘹望塔的西面。”

Back on the road, the septon said, “We would do well to keep a watch tonight, my friends. The villagers say they’ve seen three broken men skulking round the dunes, west of the old watchtower.”

“三個(gè)？”海爾爵士微微一笑，“三個(gè)對(duì)我們的劍妞來說是小菜一碟。況且，他們不大會(huì)招惹有武器的人。”

“Only three?” Ser Hyle smiled. “Three is honey to our swordswench. They’re not like to trouble armed men.”

“除非肚子餓到難以忍受，”修士說。“沼澤里有吃的，但只有懂得如何去找的人才找得著，而這些都是陌生人，是戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的幸存者。如果他們來搭話，爵士，我請(qǐng)求你交給我來處理。”

“Unless they’re starving,” the septon said. “There is food in these marshes, but only for those with the eyes to find it, and these men are strangers here, survivors from some battle. If they should accost us, ser, I beg you, leave them to me.”

“你要怎樣做？”

“What will you do with them?”

“給他們吃的，要他們坦白罪孽。我會(huì)寬恕他們，并邀請(qǐng)他們一起去寂靜島。”

“Feed them. Ask them to confess their sins, so that I might forgive them. Invite them to come with us to the Quiet Isle.”

“邀請(qǐng)他們趁我們睡覺時(shí)割我們的喉嚨？”海爾·亨特反問，“處置逃兵，藍(lán)道大人有更好的辦法——鋼刀與麻繩。”

“That’s as good as inviting them to slit our throats as we sleep,” Hyle Hunt replied. “Lord Randyll has better ways to deal with broken men—steel and hempen rope.”

“爵士？小姐？”波德瑞克說，“殘人就是逃兵嗎？他們算不算土匪呢？”

“Ser? My lady?” said Podrick. “Is a broken man an outlaw?”

“或多或少算是吧。”布蕾妮回答。

“More or less,” Brienne answered.

梅里巴德修士不以為然。“或少多于或多。土匪有許多種，就像鳥也有許多種一樣。磯鷂和海鷗都長(zhǎng)著翅膀，但它們并不相同。歌手們喜歡歌唱好人為奸臣陷害，被迫落草為寇，但大多數(shù)土匪更像那個(gè)肆意劫掠的獵狗，而不像閃電大王。他們本就是壞人，為貪欲驅(qū)使，心懷惡意，蔑視諸神，只關(guān)心自己。與他們相比，所謂的殘人更值得同情，盡管他們或許也一樣危險(xiǎn)。他們都曾是淳樸的平民百姓，從沒離開自己的房子哪怕一里地，直到某一天，領(lǐng)主的召喚來了。于是他們穿著破爛的鞋子和破爛的衣服，在領(lǐng)主華美的旗幟下出發(fā)，往往沒帶什么武器，只有鐮刀、開鋒的鋤頭，或把石塊用皮索綁到棍子上制成的簡(jiǎn)陋錘子。兄弟、父子、朋友共同踏上征程。他們聽過歌謠和故事，出發(fā)時(shí)心情迫切，夢(mèng)想見證奇景，贏取財(cái)富和榮耀。戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)仿佛是一場(chǎng)偉大的冒險(xiǎn)，是大多數(shù)人做夢(mèng)都?jí)舨坏降拿烂顨v程。”

Septon Meribald disagreed. “More less than more. There are many sorts of outlaws, just as there are many sorts of birds. A sandpiper and a sea eagle both have wings, but they are not the same. The singers love to sing of good men forced to go outside the law to fight some wicked lord, but most outlaws are more like this ravening Hound than they are the lightning lord. They are evil men, driven by greed, soured by malice, despising the gods and caring only for themselves. Broken men are more deserving of our pity, though they may be just as dangerous. Almost all are common-born, simple folk who had never been more than a mile from the house where they were born until the day some lord came round to take them off to war. Poorly shod and poorly clad, they march away beneath his banners, ofttimes with no better arms than a sickle or a sharpened hoe, or a maul they made themselves by lashing a stone to a stick with strips of hide. Brothers march with brothers, sons with fathers, friends with friends. They’ve heard the songs and stories, so they go off with eager hearts, dreaming of the wonders they will see, of the wealth and glory they will win. War seems a fine adventure, the greatest most of them will ever know.

“然后他們嘗到了戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)的滋味。”

“Then they get a taste of battle.

“對(duì)一些人來說，一點(diǎn)點(diǎn)滋味便足以令他崩潰，更多的人繼續(xù)堅(jiān)持，一年又一年，直到數(shù)不清參加過多少次戰(zhàn)斗，但即使是第一百次戰(zhàn)斗中幸存下來的人，也有可能在第一百零一次戰(zhàn)斗時(shí)崩潰。弟弟眼看著哥哥死去，父親失去兒子，朋友的肚皮被斧頭劈開，他還試圖塞住自己的腸子。”

“For some, that one taste is enough to break them. Others go on for years, until they lose count of all the battles they have fought in, but even a man who has survived a hundred fights can break in his hundred-and-first. Brothers watch their brothers die, fathers lose their sons, friends see their friends trying to hold their entrails in after they’ve been gutted by an axe.

“他們看見帶領(lǐng)自己上戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)的領(lǐng)主被砍倒，另一個(gè)領(lǐng)主高聲宣布他們現(xiàn)在屬于他。他們受的傷剛愈合一半，就又負(fù)上新傷。從來吃不飽，鞋子在無休止的行軍中逐漸解體，衣服爛成布條，許多人更因喝了臟水而生病，屎尿都拉在褲子里。”

“They see the lord who led them there cut down, and some other lord shouts that they are his now. They take a wound, and when that’s still half-healed they take another. There is never enough to eat, their shoes fall to pieces from the marching, their clothes are torn and rotting, and half of them are shitting in their breeches from drinking bad water.

“如果想要新靴子，或更暖和的斗篷，或生銹的鐵半盔，他們就得從尸體上拿，不久，他們也開始從活人那兒偷——在戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)進(jìn)行的土地上，有跟他們過去一樣的老百姓。他們偷這些人的東西，偷雞摸狗，殺牛宰羊，而這距離掠走平民的女兒也就一步之遙。某天，當(dāng)他們環(huán)顧四周，意識(shí)到所有的朋友和親人都已逝去，自己身邊全是陌生人，頭上的旗幟也難以辨認(rèn)時(shí)，徨然不知身在何方，不知如何回家。他們?yōu)轭I(lǐng)主而戰(zhàn)，領(lǐng)主卻不曉得他們的姓名，只會(huì)威風(fēng)凜凜地高聲呼喝，要他們列好陣形，拿起長(zhǎng)矛、鐮刀和開鋒的鋤頭，堅(jiān)守陣地。接著，騎士們襲來了，那些全身鐵甲、看不到臉的騎士，沖鋒時(shí)鋼鐵的轟鳴充斥整個(gè)世界……”

“If they want new boots or a warmer cloak or maybe a rusted iron halfhelm, they need to take them from a corpse, and before long they are stealing from the living too, from the smallfolk whose lands they’re fighting in, men very like the men they used to be. They slaughter their sheep and steal their chickens, and from there it’s just a short step to carrying off their daughters too. And one day they look around and realize all their friends and kin are gone, that they are fighting beside strangers beneath a banner that they hardly recognize. They don’t know where they are or how to get back home and the lord they’re fighting for does not know their names, yet here he comes, shouting for them to form up, to make a line with their spears and scythes and sharpened hoes, to stand their ground. And the knights come down on them, faceless men clad all in steel, and the iron thunder of their charge seems to fill the world …

“然后那人崩潰了，他當(dāng)了逃兵，成為殘人。”

“And the man breaks.

“他當(dāng)即逃跑，或在戰(zhàn)斗過后扒著死尸爬走，或在漆黑的夜晚偷偷逃營(yíng)，找個(gè)地方躲起來。到了此時(shí)，所有家的觀念都已消失，國(guó)王、領(lǐng)主和神祗對(duì)他來說不如一塊餿掉的肉，至少肉能讓他多活一天；也不如一袋劣酒，可以暫時(shí)淹沒他的恐懼。逃兵的生活今日不知明日，吃了上頓不知下頓，活得像野獸而不像人。布蕾妮小姐說得沒錯(cuò)，目前這種時(shí)局，旅行者應(yīng)該小心逃兵，警惕逃兵……但也應(yīng)該同情他們。”

“He turns and runs, or crawls off afterward over the corpses of the slain, or steals away in the black of night, and he finds someplace to hide. All thought of home is gone by then, and kings and lords and gods mean less to him than a haunch of spoiled meat that will let him live another day, or a skin of bad wine that might drown his fear for a few hours. The broken man lives from day to day, from meal to meal, more beast than man. Lady Brienne is not wrong. In times like these, the traveler must beware of broken men, and fear them … but he should pity them as well.”

梅里巴德說完之后，深邃的沉默籠罩了這一小隊(duì)人馬。風(fēng)吹過一叢垂柳，瑟瑟作響，遠(yuǎn)處傳來一只鳥隱隱的叫聲，狗兒在修士身邊慢跑，微微喘息，驢子的舌頭從嘴角伸出來透氣。沉默不斷延伸，直到最后，布蕾妮說：“你上戰(zhàn)場(chǎng)時(shí)有多大？”

When Meribald was finished a profound silence fell upon their little band. Brienne could hear the wind rustling through a clump of pussywillows, and farther off the faint cry of a loon. She could hear Dog panting softly as he loped along beside the septon and his donkey, tongue lolling from his mouth. The quiet stretched and stretched, until finally she said, “How old were you when they marched you off to war?”

“啊，跟你的這個(gè)男孩差不多，”梅里巴德答道。“其實(shí)去打仗還太小，但哥哥們都去了，我也不甘落后。威廉說我可以做他的侍從，但他不是騎士，只不過是酒店小弟，拿著從廚房偷出來的小刀當(dāng)武器。他死在石階列島，沒真正揮過一次武器。高燒要了他和我哥哥羅賓的命。歐文死于釘頭錘下，腦袋被砸成兩半，他的朋友‘麻子’瓊恩因?yàn)閺?qiáng)奸而被絞死。”

“Why, no older than your boy,” Meribald replied. “Too young for such, in truth, but my brothers were all going, and I would not be left behind. Willam said I could be his squire, though Will was no knight, only a potboy armed with a kitchen knife he’d stolen from the inn. He died upon the Stepstones, and never struck a blow. It was fever did for him, and for my brother Robin. Owen died from a mace that split his head apart, and his friend Jon Pox was hanged for rape.”

“你說的是‘九銅板王之戰(zhàn)’？”海爾·亨特問。

“The War of the Ninepenny Kings?” asked Hyle Hunt.

“他們這樣命名，但我既沒見到一位國(guó)王，也沒賺到一個(gè)銅板。那只是一場(chǎng)戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。”

“So they called it, though I never saw a king, nor earned a penny. It was a war, though. That it was.”