SANSA
51 珊莎
They came for
Sansa on the third day.
事发后第三天，他们才带珊莎去见王后。
She chose a
simple dress of dark grey wool, plainly cut but richly embroidered around the
collar and sleeves. Her fingers felt thick and clumsy as she struggled with the
silver fastenings without the benefit of servants. Jeyne Poole had been
confined with her, but Jeyne was useless. Her face was puffy from all her
crying, and she could not seem to stop sobbing about her father.
她选了一条式样简单的深灰色羊毛裙，剪裁虽然朴素，袖口和领子却绣得精细。没有仆人帮忙，她只得自己系上银色衣带，顿时觉得手指笨拙而不灵活。珍妮·普尔虽和她软禁在一起，却一点忙也帮不上。她哭肿了脸，一直为了她父亲哭哭啼啼。
“I’m certain your father is well,” Sansa told her when she had
finally gotten the dress buttoned right. “I’ll ask the queen to let you see
him.” She thought that kindness might lift Jeyne’s spirits, but the other girl
just looked at her with red, swollen eyes and began to cry all the harder. She
was such a child.
“我相信你父亲一定没事，”总算扣好衣服后，珊莎告诉她，“我会请王后让你见见他。”她本以为如此好心的提议定可提起珍妮的精神，想不到她却用红肿的眼睛怔怔地看她，然后哭得更厉害。真是个长不大的小孩。
Sansa had wept
too, the first day. Even within the stout walls of Maegor’s Holdfast, with her
door closed and barred, it was hard not to be terrified when the killing began.
She had grown up to the sound of steel in the yard, and scarcely a day of her
life had passed without hearing the clash of sword on sword, yet somehow
knowing that the fighting was real made all the difference in the world. She
heard it as she had never heard it before, and there were other sounds as well,
grunts of pain, angry curses, shouts for help, and the moans of wounded and
dying men. In the songs, the knights never screamed nor begged for mercy.
事发当天，珊莎也哭过。纵然有梅葛楼重重厚墙所保护，且房门紧闭放下门闩，但屠杀开始时却依旧骇人。她从小听着广场上的金铁交击声长大，几乎天天都会见识刀剑，可一旦知道外面是来真的，一切又都不一样了。它们变得那么陌生，闻所未闻的声音不断传来：吃痛闷哼声、愤怒咒骂声、呼喊求救声，以及负伤垂死之人的呻吟。歌谣里的骑士从来不会惨叫，从来不会跪地求饶。
So she wept,
pleading through her door for them to tell her what was happening, calling for
her father, for Septa Mordane, for the king, for her gallant prince. If the men
guarding her heard her pleas, they gave no answer. The only time the door
opened was late that night, when they thrust Jeyne Poole inside, bruised and
shaking. “They’re killing everyone,” the steward’s daughter had shrieked at
her. She went on and on. The Hound had broken down her door with a warhammer,
she said. There were bodies on the stair of the Tower of the Hand, and the
steps were slick with blood. Sansa dried her own tears as she struggled to
comfort her friend. They went to sleep in the same bed, cradled in each other’s
arms like sisters.
所以她哭了，隔着门请求他们告诉她到底发生了什么。她呼唤父亲，呼唤茉丹修女，呼唤国王，呼唤她的白马王子。可惜就算门外守卫听见了她的哀求，他们也没有回应。他们只在当天深夜打开门，把浑身淤伤、颤抖不已的珍妮·普尔推进来。“他们把所有人都杀光了。”管家的女儿朝她尖叫。说猎狗拿着战锤破门进入她的房间，首相塔的螺旋梯上全是死尸，染血的阶梯滑溜溜的。珊莎擦干眼泪，努力安慰自己的朋友。她们睡在同一张床上，相互搂抱，宛如姐妹。
The second day
was even worse. The room where Sansa had been confined was at the top of the
highest tower of Maegor’s Holdfast. From its window, she could see that the
heavy iron portcullis in the gatehouse was down, and the drawbridge drawn up
over the deep dry moat that separated the keep-within-a-keep from the larger
castle that surrounded it. Lannister guardsmen prowled the walls with spears
and crossbows to hand. The fighting was over, and the silence of the grave had
settled over the Red Keep. The only sounds were Jeyne Poole’s endless whimpers
and sobs.
第二天情况更糟。珊莎被监禁的房间位于梅葛楼最高塔的顶层。从窗户望去可以看到城门楼的铁闸已经放下，干涸护城河上的吊桥升起，切断了这座城中城与城堡其余部分的联系。兰尼斯特卫兵手执长枪和十字弓逡巡于城墙之上。打斗已经结束，宛如墓地般的死寂笼罩了红堡，只剩下珍妮·普尔无尽的抽噎啜泣。
They were fed,
hard cheese and fresh-baked bread and milk to break their fast, roast chicken
and greens at midday, and a late supper of beef and barley stew, but the
servants who brought the meals would not answer Sansa’s questions. That evening,
some women brought her clothes from the Tower of the Hand, and some of Jeyne’s
things as well, but they seemed nearly as frightened as Jeyne, and when she
tried to talk to them, they fled from her as if she had the grey plague. The
guards outside the door still refused to let them leave the room.
她们没被饿着——早餐是硬乳酪，刚出炉的面包和牛奶，中午是烤鸡和青蔬，晚餐则是牛肉大麦浓汤——但送饭的人拒绝回答珊莎的问题。当天傍晚，有几位妇人从首相塔带了些她和珍妮的衣物过来，可她们惊慌失措的程度与珍妮不相上下，她刚要开口问话，她们便仿如见了灰疫病般避之唯恐不及。门外的守卫也依旧不让她们离开房间。
“Please, I need to speak to the queen again,” Sansa told them, as she
told everyone she saw that day. “She’ll want to talk to me, I know she will.
Tell her I want to see her, please. If not the queen, then Prince Joffrey, if
you’d be so kind. We’re to marry when we’re older.”
“求求你，我要跟王后谈谈，”她对他们说，那天她对每个人都这样说。“她想见我的，我知道。请你们转告她我要见她。如果见不到王后，那麻烦你们去找乔佛里王子。我和他长大以后要结婚的。”
At sunset on the
second day, a great bell began to ring. Its voice was deep and sonorous, and
the long slow clanging filled Sansa with a sense of dread. The ringing went on
and on, and after a while they heard other bells answering from the Great Sept
of Baelor on Visenya’s Hill. The sound rumbled across the city like thunder,
warning of the storm to come.
震耳欲聋的钟声于那天日落时分响起。钟声沉厚而洪亮，缓慢悠长的余音却教珊莎感到莫名的恐惧。钟声响而未绝，一会儿之后她们听见维桑尼亚丘陵上贝勒大圣堂里的钟也跟着回应。声音宛如阵雷，轰隆响彻全城，预示着即将来临的狂风暴雨。
“What is it?” Jeyne asked, covering her ears. “Why are they ringing
the bells?”
“发生了什么事？”珍妮捂着耳朵问，“他们为什么敲钟？”
“The king is dead.” Sansa could not say how she knew it, yet she did.
The slow, endless clanging filled their room, as mournful as a dirge. Had some
enemy stormed the castle and murdered King Robert? Was that the meaning of the
fighting they had heard?
“国王驾崩了。”珊莎说不上自己如何知道，但她就是知道。缓慢而无止尽的钟声充斥房间，哀伤有如挽歌。难道有敌人攻进城里，杀害了劳勃国王？难道这就是她们所听见的打斗？
She went to
sleep wondering, restless, and fearful. Was her beautiful Joffrey the king now?
Or had they killed him too? She was afraid for him, and for her father. If only
they would tell her what was happening?.?.?.?
她满脑疑惑地睡去，睡得很不安稳，提心吊胆。她英俊的乔佛里如今是国王了吗？还是他们连他也一起杀了？她为他担心，也为父亲害怕。如果他们告诉她外面究竟怎么回事就好了……
That night Sansa
dreamt of Joffrey on the throne, with herself seated beside him in a gown of
woven gold. She had a crown on her head, and everyone she had ever known came
before her, to bend the knee and say their courtesies.
那天晚上，珊莎梦见乔佛里坐在王位上，她自己则穿着一袭金衣靠在他身旁，头顶冠冕，她所认识的每个人都来到她面前屈膝致意。
The next
morning, the morning of the third day, Ser Boros Blount of the Kingsguard came
to escort her to the queen.
翌日清晨，亦即第三天早上，御林铁卫的柏洛斯·布劳恩爵士前来护送她去觐见王后。
Ser Boros was an
ugly man with a broad chest and short, bandy legs. His nose was flat, his
cheeks baggy with jowls, his hair grey and brittle. Today he wore white velvet,
and his snowy cloak was fastened with a lion brooch. The beast had the soft
sheen of gold, and his eyes were tiny rubies. “You look very handsome and
splendid this morning, Ser Boros,” Sansa told him. A lady remembered her
courtesies, and she was resolved to be a lady no matter what.
柏洛斯爵士是个胸膛宽厚，有一双向外弯曲的短腿的丑陋男子。他生了个扁鼻，两颊松弛，一头发质糟糕的灰发。这天他穿了白天鹅绒外衣，雪白披风用一个狮子别针系着。狮子镀上一层软金箔，有小小的红宝石镶成的眼睛。“柏洛斯爵士，您今早真是容光焕发，格外迷人哪。”珊莎告诉他。官家小姐无时无刻不能忘记礼貌，而且她下定决心无论如何都要有个官家小姐的样子。
“And you, my lady,” Ser Boros said in a flat voice. “Her Grace
awaits. Come with me.”
“小姐，您也是哪。”柏洛斯爵士语气平板地说，“王后陛下正在等你。请随我来。”
There were
guards outside her door, Lannister men-at-arms in crimson cloaks and
lion-crested helms. Sansa made herself smile at them pleasantly and bid them a
good morning as she passed. It was the first time she had been allowed outside
the chamber since Ser Arys Oakheart had led her there two mornings past. “To
keep you safe, my sweet one,” Queen Cersei had told her. “Joffrey would never
forgive me if anything happened to his precious.”
门外有红袍狮盔的兰尼斯特卫兵站岗，珊莎经过时，还特别友好地朝他们微笑早安。这是她自两天前被亚历斯·奥克赫特爵士带来这里后首次踏出房门。“好孩子，这是为你的安全着想，”瑟曦王后告诉她，“如果乔佛里亲爱的女孩出了意外，他一定不会原谅我的。”
Sansa had
expected that Ser Boros would escort her to the royal apartments, but instead
he led her out of Maegor’s Holdfast. The bridge was down again. Some workmen
were lowering a man on ropes into the depths of the dry moat. When Sansa peered
down, she saw a body impaled on the huge iron spikes below. She averted her
eyes quickly, afraid to ask, afraid to look too long, afraid he might be
someone she knew.
珊莎本以为柏洛斯爵士会护送她到王家居室，没想到他却领她走出了梅葛楼。吊桥已再度放下。几名工人正把同伴用绳子垂到干涸的护城河床。珊莎探头一看，只见下方巨大的尖刺上钉了一具尸首。她连忙移开视线，不敢发问，不敢再看，不敢想象那是某位她所认识的人。
They found Queen
Cersei in the council chambers, seated at the head of a long table littered
with papers, candles, and blocks of sealing wax. The room was as splendid as
any that Sansa had ever seen. She stared in awe at the carved wooden screen and
the twin sphinxes that sat beside the door.
他们在议事厅里找到瑟曦王后，她正坐在长桌的首位，桌上堆满纸张、蜡烛和一叠叠的蜡泥。珊莎不曾见过陈设如此华丽的房间，不由得睁大眼睛看着雕花木屏风，以及蹲坐大门两侧的人面狮身兽雕像。
“Your Grace,” Ser Boros said when they were ushered inside by another
of the Kingsguard, Ser Mandon of the curiously dead face, “I’ve brought the
girl.”
“王后陛下，”当另一名御林铁卫，生了张死人脸的曼登爵士领他们走进去时，柏洛斯爵士开口说，“我把这女孩带来了。”
Sansa had hoped
Joffrey might be with her. Her prince was not there, but three of the king’s
councillors were. Lord Petyr Baelish sat on the queen’s left hand, Grand
Maester Pycelle at the end of the table, while Lord Varys hovered over them,
smelling flowery. All of them were clad in black, she realized with a feeling
of dread. Mourning clothes?.?.?.?
珊莎原本期盼乔佛里会和王后在一起，可惜她的白马王子没来，反倒是三位重臣在场。派提尔·贝里席伯爵坐在王后左手，派席尔国师在桌子另一边，浑身花香的瓦里斯伯爵则在他们周围晃来晃去。她突然恐惧地发现他们都身着黑衣，那是丧服的颜色啊……
The queen wore a
high-collared black silk gown, with a hundred dark red rubies sewn into her
bodice, covering her from neck to bosom. They were cut in the shape of
teardrops, as if the queen were weeping blood. Cersei smiled to see her, and
Sansa thought it was the sweetest and saddest smile she had ever seen. “Sansa,
my sweet child,” she said, “I know you’ve been asking for me. I’m sorry that I
could not send for you sooner. Matters have been very unsettled, and I have not
had a moment. I trust my people have been taking good care of you?”
王后穿了一件高领的黑丝礼服，上身缝缀了上百颗暗红宝石，从脖颈直覆到胸部。宝石被琢磨成泪滴的形状，一眼望去，王后仿佛正在泣血。瑟曦见到她，脸上露出珊莎所见过最甜美、却也最哀伤的微笑。“珊莎，我的好孩子。”她说，“我知道你一直想见我，很抱歉我到现在才找你来。只怪最近诸事纷乱，我实在抽不出时间。我想我的手下没让你受委屈罢？”
“Everyone has been very sweet and pleasant, Your Grace, thank you
ever so much for asking,” Sansa said politely. “Only, well, no one will talk to
us or tell us what’s happened?.?.?.?”
“陛下，每个人都对我们既照顾又友好，非常感谢您的关心，”珊莎彬彬有礼地说，“只不过，嗯，没有人愿意跟我们说话，或者告诉我们到底发生了什么……”
“Us?” Cersei seemed puzzled.
“我们？”瑟曦似乎颇感困惑。
“We put the steward’s girl in with her,” Ser Boros said. “We did not
know what else to do with her.”
“我们把那个管家的女儿送去跟她一起住，”柏洛斯爵士道，“我们实在不知该拿她怎么办。”
The queen
frowned. “Next time, you will ask,” she said, her voice sharp. “The gods only
know what sort of tales she’s been filling Sansa’s head with.”
王后皱起眉头。“下回记得先问，”她口气锐利地说，“天知道她朝珊莎脑子里鬼扯些什么。”
“Jeyne’s scared,” Sansa said. “She won’t stop crying. I promised her
I’d ask if she could see her father.”
“珍妮她吓坏了，”珊莎说，“整天哭个不停。我答应帮她问可不可以让她见见她父亲。”
Old Grand
Maester Pycelle lowered his eyes.
派席尔老国师垂下眼睛。
“Her father is well, isn’t he?” Sansa said anxiously. She knew there
had been fighting, but surely no one would harm a steward. Vayon Poole did not
even wear a sword.
“她父亲没事吧？”珊莎焦急地说。她知道外面发生过打斗，但总不会有人伤害一个做管家的人吧？维扬·普尔平日可是连剑都不配的。
Queen Cersei
looked at each of the councillors in turn. “I won’t have Sansa fretting
needlessly. What shall we do with this little friend of hers, my lords?”
瑟曦王后依次扫视每位重臣。“我可不希望珊莎受到无谓的惊吓。诸位大人，我们该如何来安顿她这位小朋友呢？”
Lord Petyr
leaned forward. “I’ll find a place for her.”
培提尔伯爵往前靠。“我来给她找个地方吧。”
“Not in the city,” said the queen.
“不要留在城里。”王后说。
“Do you take me for a fool?”
“你当我是笨蛋不成？”
The queen
ignored that. “Ser Boros, escort this girl to Lord Petyr’s apartments and
instruct his people to keep her there until he comes for her. Tell her that
Littlefinger will be taking her to see her father, that ought to calm her down.
I want her gone before Sansa returns to her chamber.”
王后没理他。“柏洛斯爵士，劳驾您护送这位小妹妹前往培提尔大人住处，并吩咐他的手下妥善照顾，直到他回去为止。就跟她说小指头会带她去见她父亲，这样该能安抚她的情绪。我希望你在珊莎回去之前将此事办妥。”
“As you command, Your Grace,” Ser Boros said. He bowed deeply, spun
on his heel, and took his leave, his long white cloak stirring the air behind
him.
“遵命，陛下。”柏洛斯爵士道。他深深一鞠躬，笔直地跃起身，抖着身后的白披风离开。
Sansa was
confused. “I don’t understand,” she said. “Where is Jeyne’s father? Why can’t
Ser Boros take her to him instead of Lord Petyr having to do it?” She had
promised herself she would be a lady, gentle as the queen and as strong as her
mother, the Lady Catelyn, but all of a sudden she was scared again. For a
second she thought she might cry. “Where are you sending her? She hasn’t done
anything wrong, she’s a good girl.”
珊莎被搞糊涂了。“我不懂，”她说，“珍妮的父亲他人在哪里呢？柏洛斯爵士为何不直接带她去见他，反而要培提尔大人带她去呀？”她本已立志要有淑女风范，要像王后那般温柔，像母亲凯特琳夫人那般坚毅，但这会儿她突然又害怕起来，甚至担心自己会掉下眼泪。“您要把她送到哪儿？她是个好女孩，什么也没做错啊。”
“She’s upset you,” the queen said gently. “We can’t be having that.
Not another word, now. Lord Baelish will see that Jeyne’s well taken care of, I
promise you.” She patted the chair beside her. “Sit down, Sansa. I want to talk
to you.”
“她害你担惊受怕了，”王后温柔地说，“我们可不能让这种事再度发生。别提她了，嗯？我向你保证，贝里席大人会好好照顾珍妮的。”她拍拍旁边的椅子。“坐下吧，珊莎，我有话跟你说。”
Sansa seated
herself beside the queen. Cersei smiled again, but that did not make her feel
any less anxious. Varys was wringing his soft hands together, Grand Maester
Pycelle kept his sleepy eyes on the papers in front of him, but she could feel
Littlefinger staring. Something about the way the small man looked at her made
Sansa feel as though she had no clothes on. Goose bumps pimpled her skin.
珊莎在王后身旁坐下。瑟曦再度露出微笑，然而这次却没能纾解她的不安。瓦里斯绞着他柔软的双手，派席尔国师撑着充满睡意的眼睛，看着眼前的纸张，但她能感觉小指头盯着自己的视线。矮个子看她的眼神，总让珊莎觉得自己仿佛没穿衣服，不禁浑身起了鸡皮疙瘩。
“Sweet Sansa,” Queen Cersei said, laying a soft hand on her wrist.
“Such a beautiful child. I do hope you know how much Joffrey and I love you.”
“亲爱的珊莎，”瑟曦王后边说边伸出一只柔软的手，放在她手腕上。“你真是个漂亮的好孩子。我真希望你知道乔佛里和我有多么爱你。”
“You do?” Sansa said, breathless. Littlefinger was forgotten. Her
prince loved her. Nothing else mattered.
“真的吗？”珊莎简直喘不过气来。小指头顿时被抛到脑后。她的白马王子爱她。其他一切都不重要了。
The queen
smiled. “I think of you almost as my own daughter. And I know the love you bear
for Joffrey.” She gave a weary shake of her head. “I am afraid we have some
grave news about your lord father. You must be brave, child.”
王后微笑道：“我几乎把你当成自己的女儿，我也知道你是真心真意地爱着乔佛里。”她微微摇头。“但关于你父亲大人，恐怕我有些沉重的消息要对你说。孩子，你千万要鼓起勇气。”
Her quiet words
gave Sansa a chill. “What is it?”
她从容的话语却教珊莎打了个冷颤。“什么消息？”
“Your father is a traitor, dear,” Lord Varys said.
“你父亲叛国，亲爱的。”瓦里斯伯爵道。
Grand Maester
Pycelle lifted his ancient head. “With my own ears, I heard Lord Eddard swear
to our beloved King Robert that he would protect the young princes as if they
were his own sons. And yet the moment the king was dead, he called the small
council together to steal Prince Joffrey’s rightful throne.”
派席尔国师抬起苍老的头颅。“我亲耳听见艾德大人向劳勃国王发誓会保护小王子，把他当成自己儿子看待。想不到等国王一死，他就立刻召集重臣，妄图窃取本应属于乔佛里的王位。”
“No,” Sansa blurted. “He wouldn’t do that. He wouldn’t!”
“不，”珊莎脱口而出，“他绝不会做这种事，他绝不会！”
The queen picked
up a letter. The paper was torn and stiff with dried blood, but the broken seal
was her father’s, the direwolf stamped in pale wax. “We found this on the
captain of your household guard, Sansa. It is a letter to my late husband’s
brother Stannis, inviting him to take the crown.”
王后拣起一封信。信纸撕得稀烂，沾满干涸的血渍，然而上面被揭开的封蜡毫无疑问是父亲的冰原狼家徽。“珊莎，这是我们在你家侍卫队长身上找到的。收信人是我亡夫的弟弟史坦尼斯，信上邀请他来夺取王位。”
“Please, Your Grace, there’s been a mistake.” Sudden panic made her
dizzy and faint. “Please, send for my father, he’ll tell you, he would never
write such a letter, the king was his friend.”
“求求您，王后陛下，这一定是误会，”突如其来的恐慌使她感到头晕目眩。“求求您，找我父亲过来，他会向您解释，他是国王的朋友，绝不会写这种信。”
“Robert thought so,” said the queen. “This betrayal would have broken
his heart. The gods are kind, that he did not live to see it.” She sighed.
“Sansa, sweetling, you must see what a dreadful position this has left us in.
You are innocent of any wrong, we all know that, and yet you are the daughter
of a traitor. How can I allow you to marry my son?”
“劳勃当初也是这么想，”王后道，“他若是地下有知，这件事准会伤透他的心。幸好诸神慈悲，没让他生前见到。”她叹口气。“珊莎，我亲爱的好孩子，你一定也知道这件事让我们有多为难。此事与你无关，这我们都明白，但你毕竟是个叛国者的女儿，你说我怎么敢让你嫁给我儿子呢？”
“But I love him,” Sansa wailed, confused and frightened. What did
they mean to do to her? What had they done to her father? It was not supposed
to happen this way. She had to wed Joffrey, they were betrothed, he was
promised to her, she had even dreamed about it. It wasn’t fair to take him away
from her on account of whatever her father might have done.
“可是我爱他啊。”珊莎既困惑又害怕地啜泣道。他们打算如何处置她？他们又对父亲做了些什么？事情不应该变成这样子的。她一定要嫁给乔佛里，他们不是已经订婚了吗？他不是已经许给她了吗？她还梦见过两人成亲的景象呢。因为父亲的所作所为，便要硬生生将他夺走，实在太不公平了。
“How well I know that, child,” Cersei said, her voice so kind and
sweet. “Why else should you have come to me and told me of your father’s plan
to send you away from us, if not for love?”
“孩子，这我难道不清楚吗？”瑟曦慈祥、和蔼又温柔地说，“你若不是爱他，又怎么会来见我，把你父亲送你走的计划倾诉给我听呢？”
“It was for love,” Sansa said in a rush. “Father wouldn’t even give
me leave to say farewell.” She was the good girl, the obedient girl, but she
had felt as wicked as Arya that morning, sneaking away from Septa Mordane,
defying her lord father. She had never done anything so willful before, and she
would never have done it then if she hadn’t loved Joffrey as much as she did.
“He was going to take me back to Winterfell and marry me to some hedge knight,
even though it was Joff I wanted. I told him, but he wouldn’t listen.” The king
had been her last hope. The king could command Father to let her stay in King’s
Landing and marry Prince Joffrey, Sansa knew he could, but the king had always
frightened her. He was loud and rough-voiced and drunk as often as not, and he
would probably have just sent her back to Lord Eddard, if they even let her see
him. So she went to the queen instead, and poured out her heart, and Cersei had
listened and thanked her sweetly?.?.?.?only then Ser Arys had escorted her to
the high room in Maegor’s Holdfast and posted guards, and a few hours later,
the fighting had begun outside. “Please,” she finished, “you have to let me
marry Joffrey, I’ll be ever so good a wife to him, you’ll see. I’ll be a queen
just like you, I promise.”
“是啊，我好爱他，”珊莎急促地说，“可父亲连让我说声再见都不准。”她向来是听话乖巧的好女儿，但那天早上她偷偷从茉丹修女身边溜开，违背父亲意愿的时候，却觉得自己跟艾莉亚一样坏。她以前从未如此任性而为，若非她深爱着乔佛里，也不会这么做。“他打算送我回临冬城，把我嫁给默默无闻的雇佣骑士，也不管我只想要。我跟他说了，可他就是听不进去。”她的希望只剩下国王，只有国王才能命令父亲让她留在君临，和乔佛里成亲。话虽如此，她却一直很怕这个讲话粗声粗气，成天喝得酩酊大醉的国王，更何况就算当真见到他，他很可能只会派人把她送回父亲身边。所以她去找王后，将心事和盘吐露，瑟曦听完之后，郑重地向她道谢……接着却派亚历斯爵士护送她到梅葛楼的高塔房间，并在门外安排守卫，没过多久，外面便传来打斗声。“求求您，”她把话说完，“您一定要让我嫁给乔佛里，我会当个好妻子的，真的，我保证会当个像您一样的王后。”
Queen Cersei
looked to the others. “My lords of the council, what do you say to her plea?”
瑟曦王后看看其他人。“诸位重臣大人，关于她的请求，您们有何看法？”
“The poor child,” murmured Varys. “A love so true and innocent, Your
Grace, it would be cruel to deny it?.?.?.?and yet, what can we do? Her father
stands condemned.” His soft hands washed each other in a gesture of helpless
distress.
“可怜的孩子，”瓦里斯喃喃道，“王后陛下，多么纯洁的一片痴情，若不答应她未免也太残忍了……但话又说回来，她父亲终究难辞其咎，我们还能怎么样呢？”他柔软的双手相互搓揉，做出无助又无奈的手势。
“A child born of traitor’s seed will find that betrayal comes
naturally to her,” said Grand Maester Pycelle. “She is a sweet thing now, but
in ten years, who can say what treasons she may hatch?”
“既然是叛国者的种，只怕背叛之性已在她心中生根发芽。”派席尔国师道，“她眼下是个讨人喜欢的好孩子，可十年以后会怎样呢？谁也说不准。”
“No,” Sansa said, horrified. “I’m not, I’d never?.?.?.?I wouldn’t
betray Joffrey, I love him, I swear it, I do.”
“不，”珊莎惊恐地说，“我不是，我不会……我绝不会背叛乔佛里，我爱他啊，我发誓我真的爱他。”
“Oh, so poignant,” said Varys. “And yet, it is truly said that blood
runs truer than oaths.”
“噢，真叫人辛酸哪，”瓦里斯道，“但归根结底，毕竟誓言不及血统可靠啊。”
“She reminds me of the mother, not the father,” Lord Petyr Baelish
said quietly. “Look at her. The hair, the eyes. She is the very image of Cat at
the same age.”
“她像母亲，不像父亲，”培提尔·贝里席伯爵轻声说，“你们看看她，这头发和眼晴，十足就是当年的凯特。”
The queen looked
at her, troubled, and yet Sansa could see kindness in her clear green eyes.
“Child,” she said, “if I could truly believe that you were not like your
father, why nothing should please me more than to see you wed to my Joffrey. I
know he loves you with all his heart.” She sighed. “And yet, I fear that Lord
Varys and the Grand Maester have the right of it. The blood will tell. I have
only to remember how your sister set her wolf on my son.”
王后看着她，显然伤透脑筋，但珊莎发现她那对澄澈的碧绿眸子里闪着慈蔼。“孩子，”她说，“如果我能相信你的确和你父亲不一样，那再没有什么事比你嫁给乔佛里更让我高兴的了。我知道他也是全心全意爱着你。”她叹口气，“怕只怕瓦里斯大人和派席尔国师说得没错。血统决定一切，我还记得你妹妹是怎么放狼咬我儿子的。”
“I’m not like Arya,” Sansa blurted. “She has the traitor’s blood, not
me. I’m good, ask Septa Mordane, she’ll tell you, I only want to be Joffrey’s
loyal and loving wife.”
“我跟艾莉亚才不一样，”珊莎冲口便说，“她流着叛国者的血液，我可没有。我很听话，问问茉丹修女就知道了。我只想作乔佛里忠诚的好妻子。”
She felt the
weight of Cersei’s eyes as the queen studied her face. “I believe you mean it,
child.” She turned to face the others. “My lords, it seems to me that if the
rest of her kin were to remain loyal in this terrible time, that would go a
long way toward laying our fears to rest.”
王后仔细审视她的脸，她能感觉王后眼神的重量。“孩子，我相信你说的都是真话。”她转头面对其他人。“诸位大人，依我看来，如果她的家人都肯在此动荡之际宣誓效忠王室，那么我们大可不必为她担心。”
Grand Maester
Pycelle stroked his huge soft beard, his wide brow furrowed in thought. “Lord
Eddard has three sons.”
派席尔国师捻捻大把的软胡须，若有所思地皱起宽眉。“艾德大人有三个儿子。”
“Mere boys,” Lord Petyr said with a shrug. “I should be more
concerned with Lady Catelyn and the Tullys.”
“都是些孩子，”培提尔伯爵耸肩，“我比较担心凯特琳夫人和徒利家族。”
The queen took
Sansa’s hand in both of hers. “Child, do you know your letters?”
王后双手握住珊莎手掌。“孩子，你可会读书写字？”
Sansa nodded
nervously. She could read and write better than any of her brothers, although
she was hopeless at sums.
珊莎不安地点点头。她不论读书写字都比兄弟要行，但一遇算术就没办法。
“I am pleased to hear that. Perhaps there is hope for you and Joffrey
still?.?.?.?”
“我很高兴。或许你和乔佛里还有希望……”
“What do you want me to do?”
“您要我怎么做呢？”
“You must write your lady mother, and your brother, the
eldest?.?.?.?what is his name?”
“你得写信给你母亲，以及你大哥……他叫什么名字？”
“Robb,” Sansa said.
“罗柏。”珊莎说。
“The word of your lord father’s treason will no doubt reach them
soon. Better that it should come from you. You must tell them how Lord Eddard
betrayed his king.”
“你父亲大人叛国的事，相信不久自会传到他们耳中，所以由你亲自来讲比较妥善。你得告诉他们艾德大人背叛国王的经过。”
Sansa wanted
Joffrey desperately, but she did not think she had the courage to do as the
queen was asking. “But he never?.?.?.?I don’t?.?.?.?Your Grace, I wouldn’t know
what to say ?.?.?.?”
珊莎极度渴望乔佛里，但她却不知自己是否有照王后吩咐去做的勇气。“可他没有……我不知……陛下，我不知道该怎么写……”
The queen patted
her hand. “We will tell you what to write, child. The important thing is that
you urge Lady Catelyn and your brother to keep the king’s peace.”
王后拍拍她的手。“好孩子，我们会告诉你该怎么写。重要的是你必须敦促凯特琳夫人和你哥哥维护国内和平。”
“It will go hard for them if they don’t,” said Grand Maester Pycelle.
“By the love you bear them, you must urge them to walk the path of wisdom.”
“如果他们不愿听从，情况可对他们不利。”派席尔国师道，“看在你们之间的亲情份上，说什么你都该敦请他们做出明智的抉择。”
“Your lady mother will no doubt fear for you dreadfully,” the queen
said. “You must tell her that you are well and in our care, that we are
treating you gently and seeing to your every want. Bid them to come to King’s
Landing and pledge their fealty to Joffrey when he takes his throne. If they do
that?.?.?.?why, then we shall know that there is no taint in your blood, and when
you come into the flower of your womanhood, you shall wed the king in the Great
Sept of Baelor, before the eyes of gods and men.”
“你的母亲大人此刻一定非常为你担心，”王后道，“你该告诉她，你正受我们妥善的照顾，一切平安无事，衣食无虞。并邀请他们在乔佛里登基之日，前来君临宣誓效忠。如果他们照办……哎，那我们就知道你的血液里没有一丝一毫的污染，等你有了月事，成为真正的女人，我们就让你和国王在贝勒大圣堂结婚，让天上诸神和地上百姓作见证。”
?.?.?.?wed the
king?.?.?.?The words made her breath come faster, yet still Sansa hesitated.
“Perhaps?.?.?.?if I might see my father, talk to him about?.?.?.?”
……和国王结婚……这几个字让她呼吸急促，但珊莎依旧有些迟疑。“或许……如果我可以先见见父亲大人，和他谈谈……”
“Treason?” Lord Varys hinted.
“造反的事？”瓦里斯伯爵提示。
“You disappoint me, Sansa,” the queen said, with eyes gone hard as
stones. “We’ve told you of your father’s crimes. If you are truly as loyal as
you say, why should you want to see him?”
“珊莎，你太令我失望了。”王后的眼神转为严峻，有如坚硬磐石。“我们已经告诉过你令尊的罪行，假如你真如自己所说那么忠于王室，为何还要见他？”
“I?.?.?.?I only meant?.?.?.?” Sansa felt her eyes grow wet. “He’s
not?.?.?.?please, he hasn’t been?.?.?.?hurt, or?.?.?.?or?.?.?.?”
“我……我只是想……”珊莎湿了眼眶。“他没事吧？……请您告诉我，他有没有……受伤，还是……还是……”
“Lord Eddard has not been harmed,” the queen said.
“艾德大人毫发无伤。”王后说。
“But?.?.?.?what’s to become of him?”
“可是……你们要如何处置他？”
“That is a matter for the king to decide,” Grand Maester Pycelle
announced ponderously.
“此事只有国王陛下才能决定。”派席尔国师满腹思量地宣布。
The king! Sansa
blinked back her tears. Joffrey was the king now, she thought. Her gallant
prince would never hurt her father, no matter what he might have done. If she
went to him and pleaded for mercy, she was certain he’d listen. He had to
listen, he loved her, even the queen said so. Joff would need to punish Father,
the lords would expect it, but perhaps he could send him back to Winterfell, or
exile him to one of the Free Cities across the narrow sea. It would only have
to be for a few years. By then she and Joffrey would be married. Once she was
queen, she could persuade Joff to bring Father back and grant him a pardon.
国王陛下！珊莎眨眨眼睛忍住泪水。她这才想起，如今乔佛里是国王了。无论他最后作何决定，她相信她的白马王子绝不会伤害父亲。她确信只要自己去找他，求他手下留情，他一定会听的。他怎么可能不听呢？他那么爱她，王后不也这么说？虽然小乔处罚父亲在所难免，群臣也会如此期待，但或许他能把他送回临冬城，或者将他放逐到狭海对岸的自由贸易城邦。只要他安心待个几年，等她和乔佛里成婚，一旦她贵为王后，便可劝说乔佛里赦免父亲的罪行，放他回家。
Only?.?.?.?if
Mother or Robb did anything treasonous, called the banners or refused to swear
fealty or anything, it would all go wrong. Her Joffrey was good and kind, she
knew it in her heart, but a king had to be stern with rebels. She had to make
them understand, she had to!
可是……万一母亲和罗柏做出什么违法犯上的事，比如召集封臣举兵叛乱，或是不肯宣誓效忠，那后果可就不堪设想。虽然她心里清楚乔佛里有副高贵的好心肠，可他毕竟身为一国之君，对叛变之事非得严惩不贷，所以她一定要让母亲他们了解，她非这样做不可！
“I’ll?.?.?.?I’ll write the letters,” Sansa told them.
“那……那我就写吧。”珊莎告诉他们。
With a smile as
warm as the sunrise, Cersei Lannister leaned close and kissed her gently on the
cheek. “I knew you would. Joffrey will be so proud when I tell him what courage
and good sense you’ve shown here today.”
瑟曦·兰尼斯特露出如旭日般温煦的笑容，靠过来轻吻她的脸颊。“我知道你会的。等我告诉乔佛里你今天有多勇敢，多懂事，他一定会倍感骄傲。”
In the end, she
wrote four letters. To her mother, the Lady Catelyn Stark, and to her brothers
at Winterfell, and to her aunt and her grandfather as well, Lady Lysa Arryn of
the Eyrie, and Lord Hoster Tully of Riverrun. By the time she had done, her
fingers were cramped and stiff and stained with ink. Varys had her father’s
seal. She warmed the pale white beeswax over a candle, poured it carefully, and
watched as the eunuch stamped each letter with the direwolf of House Stark.
最后她一共写了四封信。收件人包括母亲凯特琳·史塔克夫人，她临冬城的兄弟们，以及阿姨和爷爷，也就是鹰巢城的莱莎·艾林夫人和奔流城的霍斯特·徒利公爵。待她写完，手指已经酸麻僵硬，沾满墨水。瓦里斯拿来父亲的印章，她在蜡烛上融了白色蜂蜡，小心翼翼地倒在信封口，然后看着太监用史塔克家族的冰原狼印章依次盖上。
Jeyne Poole and
all her things were gone when Ser Mandon Moore returned Sansa to the high tower
of Maegor’s Holdfast. No more weeping, she thought gratefully. Yet somehow it
seemed colder with Jeyne gone, even after she’d built a fire. She pulled a
chair close to the hearth, took down one of her favorite books, and lost
herself in the stories of Florian and Jonquil, of Lady Shella and the Rainbow
Knight, of valiant Prince Aemon and his doomed love for his brother’s queen.
曼登·穆尔爵士送她回到梅葛楼的高塔时，珍妮·普尔和她的东西已经没了踪影。再也不用听她哭个不休，她有些感激地想。然而少了珍妮，这里却越发显得清冷，即便她生起一炉火也一样。她拉张椅子靠近炉边，从书架上取了本她最喜欢的书，容许自己暂时躲进佛罗理安和琼琪，希拉小姐与彩虹骑士，以及英勇的伊蒙王子和他兄弟之妻注定悲剧收场的爱情故事里。
It was not until
later that night, as she was drifting off to sleep, that Sansa realized she had
forgotten to ask about her sister.
直到当晚准备上床的时候，珊莎才想起自己忘问妹妹的事了。