Chapter 第五十三章 琼恩（十一）
JON
巨人克星托蒙德并不是一个很高的人，但是七神给了他一个健硕的胸腔和巨大的肚子，曼斯雷德因他庞大的肺活量叫他吹号者托蒙德，还常常说托蒙德笑的时候可以把山顶上的雪震下来。当他震怒的时候，他的吼声让琼恩想起了长毛象的吼声
He was not a tall man, Tormund Giantsbane, but the gods had given him a broad chest and massive belly. Mance Rayder had named him Tormund Horn-Blower for the power of his lungs, and was wont to say that Tormund could laugh the snow off mountaintops. In his wroth, his bellows reminded Jon of a mammoth trumpeting.
那一天托蒙德经常大声的怒吼。他咆哮着，怒吼着，他用拳头狠狠地砸着桌子把水壶都弄倒了。他的手边一直放着一角蜜酒，这让他在进行威胁时喷出的唾沫星子都散着一股甜腻味儿。他说琼恩是个懦夫，是个骗子，变化无常的家伙，为他是个黑心的下跪者诅咒他，他还是个强盗，一个吃腐肉的乌鸦，指控他想操自由民的阴道。他把酒杯朝着琼恩的脑袋扔了两回，虽然是在喝完了里面的酒以后。托蒙德并不是那种会浪费好蜜酒的家伙。琼恩并没有躲闪，他从没有将他的声调提高半分或者用威胁来回应雷蒙德，但是他也并没有给出比先前打算更多的余地。
That day Tormund bellowed often and loudly. He roared, he shouted, he slammed his fist against the table so hard that a flagon of water overturned and spilled. A horn of mead was never far from his hand, so the spittle he sprayed when making threats was sweet with honey. He called Jon Snow a craven, a liar, and a turncloak, cursed him for a black-hearted buggering kneeler, a robber, and a carrion crow, accused him of wanting to fuck the free folk up the arse. Twice he flung his drinking horn at Jon’s head, though only after he had emptied it. Tormund was not the sort of man to waste good mead. Jon let it all wash over him. He never raised his own voice nor answered threat with threat, but neither did he give more ground than he had come prepared to give.
最后，当下午的阴影在帐篷外变得更长时，巨人克星托蒙德，高个的言者、吹号者、碎冰者、雷拳托蒙德、熊的丈夫、Ruddy厅的蜜酒王、通灵者以及主人的爹--把手往外一戳说道：“敌羞吾去脱他衣！就那么办吧，但愿神能原谅我，虽然我知道上百个母亲绝不会原谅。”
Finally, as the shadows of the afternoon grew long outside the tent, Tormund Giantsbane—Tall-Talker, Horn-Blower, and Breaker of Ice, Tormund Thunderfist, Husband to Bears, Mead-King of Ruddy Hall, Speaker to Gods and Father of Hosts—thrust out his hand. “Done then, and may the gods forgive me. There’s a hundred mothers never will, I know.”
琼恩握紧了那只戳出来的手。他立下的誓言在他脑中闪过。我是黑暗中的利刃。我是守夜人的汉子，我是抵御寒冷的火焰，是带来黎明的那道光芒，是唤醒沉睡者的号角，是保卫王国人民的盾牌。对他而言得再加上一条：我还是那个打开大门让敌人列队通过的守卫。他需要付出更多来确信他做的事是正确的。但是他已经走得太远了，无法回头了。“就这么办。”他说。
Jon clasped the offered hand. The words of his oath rang through his head. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. And for him a new refrain: I am the guard who opened the gates and let the foe march through. He would have given much and more to know that he was doing the right thing. But he had gone too far to turn back. “Done and done,” he said.
托蒙德的握力大得能把骨头弄碎。这一点倒还是没什么变化。他的胡子也还是老样子，虽然灌木丛般白胡子下面的脸相当程度上变得消瘦了，红脸蛋上的线条也更深了。“曼斯有机会的时候应该杀了你”，他边说边用力的蹂躏琼恩的手，努力地使它变成肉酱和碎骨。“用金子来换麦粥，而男孩们…残酷的王子。我曾经认识的那个可爱的哥们儿到底发生什么了？”
Tormund’s grip was bone-crushing. That much had not changed about him. The beard was the same as well, though the face under that thicket of white hair had thinned considerably, and there were deep lines graven in those ruddy cheeks. “Mance should have killed you when he had the chance,” he said as he did his best to turn Jon’s hand to pulp and bone. “Gold for gruel, and boys … a cruel price. Whatever happened to that sweet lad I knew?”
他们让他做了指挥官。“一个公平的交易会让两边都不怎么高兴，我曾经听别人说来着。三天？”
They made him lord commander. “A fair bargain leaves both sides unhappy, I’ve heard it said. Three days?”
“如果我能活那么久的话。听了这个期限我手下的家伙里肯定会有人唾弃我。”托蒙德放开了琼恩的手。“你的乌鸦们也会抱怨的，如果我了解他们的话。我也应该了解。我曾经杀过多少黑黑的下跪之人连我自己都数不清了。”
“If I live that long. Some o’ my own will spit on me when they hear these terms.” Tormund released Jon’s hand. “Your crows will grumble too, if I know them. And I ought to. I have killed more o’ you black buggers than I can count.”
“当你来到墙的南边的时候如果你不这么大声的提到这点那最好了。”
“It might be best if you did not mention that so loudly when you come south of the Wall.”
“哈！”托蒙德笑了。这点也没变；他还是那么容易笑。“至理名言啊！我可不想被你们这群乌鸦给啄死。”他拍了拍琼恩的后背。“当我的人全部安全的到了长城的那边，我们会分给你们一些肉和蜜酒。直到那时…”野人把他左臂上的臂章拉下来朝着琼恩扔了过去，然后把右臂上的也扔了过去。“你的第一笔付款。我从我老爹那里得到了这些而他又是从他父亲那里得到的。现在他们是你的了，你这个偷东西的黑混蛋。”
“Har!” Tormund laughed. That had not changed either; he still laughed easily and often. “Wise words. I’d not want you crows to peck me to death.” He slapped Jon’s back. “When all my folk are safe behind your Wall, we’ll share a bit o’ meat and mead. Till then …” The wildling pulled off the band from his left arm and tossed it at Jon, then did the same with its twin upon his right. “Your first payment. Had those from my father and him from his. Now they’re yours, you thieving black bastard.”
那对臂章是古金做的，又沉又结实，上面还刻着先民的字符。托蒙德自从琼恩认识他的时候就带着这些臂章；他们看起来就和他的胡子一样是他身体的一部分。“布拉佛斯人会为了金子把这些融掉。那就太可惜了。也许你应该留着他们。”
The armbands were old gold, solid and heavy, engraved with the ancient runes of the First Men. Tormund Giantsbane had worn them as long as Jon had known him; they had seemed as much a part of him as his beard. “The Braavosi will melt these down for the gold. That seems a shame. Perhaps you ought to keep them.”
“不。我不会让别人说雷拳托蒙德逼着自由民放弃自己的财宝却留着他自己的。”他咧着嘴说。“不过我会留着我老二上的那个环。那可比这些小东西大多了。给你用当项圈都够了。”
“No. I’ll not have it said that Tormund Thunderfist made the free folk give up their treasures whilst he kept his own.” He grinned. “But I’ll keep the ring I wear about me member. Much bigger than those little things. On you it’d be a torque.”
琼恩忍不住笑了。“你真是一点都没变。”
Jon had to laugh. “You never change.”
“噢，我变了。”嘴角的笑意像夏天里的雪一样快速地消逝了。“我不再是那个你在红厅见到的家伙了。我看到了太多的死亡，还有一些更糟的东西。我的儿子们…”悲痛扭曲了托蒙德的脸庞。“多蒙德在长城那场战斗里被砍倒了，他还只是个半大的孩子。你那国王手下的某个骑士下的手，一个全身穿着灰钢盔甲手里拿着蛀虫盾牌的混蛋。我看见砍下去的那一刀，但是我的儿子在我赶到之前就死了。而托温德…是被伤风害死的。他老是病怏怏的。他刚好了一些却一夜之间就死了。最糟糕的是，在我们知道他快死了之前他的蓝眼睛逐渐的灰暗了下去。我不得不亲眼的看着他。那太难了，琼恩。”他的眼里闪着泪花，“他算不上是个男人，说实话，但是他曾经是我的小男孩，我爱他。”
“Oh, I do.” The grin melted away like snow in summer. “I am not the man I was at Ruddy Hall. Seen too much death, and worse things too. My sons …” Grief twisted Tormund’s face. “Dormund was cut down in the battle for the Wall, and him still half a boy. One o’ your king’s knights did for him, some bastard all in grey steel with moths upon his shield. I saw the cut, but my boy was dead before I reached him. And Torwynd … it was the cold claimed him. Always sickly, that one. He just up and died one night. The worst o’ it, before we ever knew he’d died he rose pale with them blue eyes. Had to see to him m’self. That was hard, Jon.” Tears shone in his eyes. “He wasn’t much of a man, truth be told, but he’d been me little boy once, and I loved him.”
琼恩把手搭在了他的肩膀上。“我很抱歉。”
Jon put a hand on his shoulder. “I am so sorry.”
“为什么？又不是你干的。你的手上有血，是啊，像我的一样。但不是他的血。”托蒙德摇了摇他的头。“我还有两个健壮的儿子那。”
“Why? Weren’t your doing. There’s blood on your hands, aye, same as mine. But not his.” Tormund shook his head. “I still have two strong sons.”
“你的女儿…？”
“Your daughter …?”
“芒达。”这让托蒙德重新笑了起来。“选了那个长矛里克做她的丈夫，信不信由你。我得说那孩子老二比脑子好使，但是他的确把她照顾得挺好。我告诉他他要是敢伤害芒达，我就把他老二扯下来，拿着当鞭子狠狠抽他一顿。”他亲切的拍了琼恩一巴掌。“你该走啦。你再呆他们准以为我们把你给吃了”
“Munda.” That brought Tormund’s smile back. “Took that Longspear Ryk to husband, if you believe it. Boy’s got more cock than sense, you ask me, but he treats her well enough. I told him if he ever hurt her, I’d yank his member off and beat him bloody with it.” He gave Jon another hearty slap. “Time you were going back. Keep you any longer, they’re like to think we ate you.”
“那就黎明时分。从现在算起。男孩们是第一批。”
“Dawn, then. Three days from now. The boys first.”
“你在说前十遍的时候我就听见啦，乌鸦。别人会以为你我之间没什么信任可言呢。”他怨言到。“男孩是第一批，好的。曼蒙斯打算走远路。你得确保东海望指望着他们要来。我会确保没有人争斗，也不会在你那该死的门那里拥挤。我们会漂漂亮亮秩序井然的，像鸭子那样排着队过去。而我就是那鸭妈妈。哈！”托蒙德把琼恩送出了他的帐篷。
“I heard you the first ten times, crow. A man’d think there was no trust between us.” He spat. “Boys first, aye. Mammoths go the long way round. You make sure Eastwatch expects them. I’ll make sure there’s no fighting, nor rushing at your bloody gate. Nice and orderly we’ll be, ducklings in a row. And me the mother duck. Har!” Tormund led Jon from his tent.
帐篷外面的天晴朗无云。太阳在消失了两周之后重新回来了，并且把长城的南面照得散发出淡蓝的闪光。琼恩在黑城堡的时候曾经听那边的老人说长城比疯王更有情绪，他们有时候又说长城比女人更有情绪。在阴天它看起来像块白色的石头。在无月的夜晚它又像海边的礁石一样黑。在暴风雪中他又像是雪雕，但是在像今天这样的日子里你就绝不会把它错认成冰以外的任何东西。在像这样的日子里长城会散发出像septon水晶的光芒。每一道裂缝和破口都被阳光够勾画了出来，像冻结了的彩虹在舞蹈并且死在了清澈的微波之后。在像这样的日子里长城是美丽的。
Outside the day was bright and cloudless. The sun had returned to the sky after a fortnight’s absence, and to the south the Wall rose blue-white and glittering. There was a saying Jon had heard from the older men at Castle Black: the Wall has more moods than Mad King Aerys, they’d say, or sometimes, the Wall has more moods than a woman. On cloudy days it looked to be white rock. On moonless nights it was as black as coal. In snowstorms it seemed carved of snow. But on days like this, there was no mistaking it for anything but ice. On days like this the Wall shimmered bright as a septon’s crystal, every crack and crevasse limned by sunlight, as frozen rainbows danced and died behind translucent ripples. On days like this the Wall was beautiful.
托蒙德最大的儿子站在马旁，在和莱瑟斯交谈。他在自由民中被称作高个托拉格。虽然他只比莱瑟斯高了不到一英寸，他却比他父亲高了近一英尺。哈瑞斯，那个高大魁梧的鼹鼠镇的男孩叫豪斯，在火边蜷成了一团，后背靠着另两个人。琼恩带去进行谈判的人只有他和莱瑟斯；人数再多的话会被认为他胆怯，如果托蒙德打算诉诸武力，那二十个人和两个人没什么区别。白灵是琼恩唯一需要的保护；这头冰原狼可以嗅出敌人，即使是那些把敌意藏在笑容背后的家伙。
Tormund’s eldest son stood near the horses, talking with Leathers. Tall Toregg, he was called amongst the free folk. Though he barely had an inch on Leathers, he overtopped his father by a foot. Hareth, the strapping Mole’s Town boy called Horse, huddled near the fire, his back to the other two. He and Leathers were the only men Jon had brought with him to the parley; any more might have been seen as a sign of fear, and twenty men would have been of no more use than two if Tormund had been intent on blood. Ghost was the only protection Jon needed; the direwolf could sniff out foes, even those who hid their enmity behind smiles.
虽然白灵已经走了。琼恩脱了一只黑手套，把两根指头放在嘴里吹了声口哨。“白灵！过来。”
Ghost was gone, though. Jon peeled off one black glove, put two fingers in his mouth, and whistled. “Ghost! To me.”
从上方忽然传来一阵翅膀扇动的声音。莫蒙司令的乌鸦从一棵老橡树的树枝飞到了琼恩的马鞍上。“玉米，”它叫着。“玉米，玉米，玉米。”
From above came the sudden sound of wings. Mormont’s raven flapped from a limb of an old oak to perch upon Jon’s saddle. “Corn,” it cried. “Corn, corn, corn.”
“你也一直跟着我吗？”琼恩本打算把鸟赶走结果却摸了摸它的羽毛。那只乌鸦竖起眼睛盯着他。“斯诺”他低语道，故意的把它的头摆来摆去。过了一会儿白灵从两棵树间出现了，它旁边跟着瓦尔。
“Did you follow me as well?” Jon reached to shoo the bird away but ended up stroking its feathers. The raven cocked its eye at him. “Snow,” it muttered, bobbing its head knowingly. Then Ghost emerged from between two trees, with Val beside him.
他们看起来好像本来就是一起的。瓦尔全身都是白色的；白色的毛织马裤被塞进漂白的白色皮质靴子里，白色的熊皮斗篷在肩膀处用白色的鱼梁木钉住，白色的长袍用骨头连接着。她连呼吸都是白色的…但是她的眼睛是蓝色的，她长长的辫子是深蜜色，她的脸因为寒冷变得红红的。琼恩已经很长时间没见到这么可爱的人了。
They look as though they belong together. Val was clad all in white; white woolen breeches tucked into high boots of bleached white leather, white bearskin cloak pinned at the shoulder with a carved weirwood face, white tunic with bone fastenings. Her breath was white as well … but her eyes were blue, her long braid the color of dark honey, her cheeks flushed red from the cold. It had been a long while since Jon Snow had seen a sight so lovely.
“你打算偷我的狼吗？”他问她。
“Have you been trying to steal my wolf?” he asked her.
“为什么不呢？如果每个女人都有一头冰原狼的话，男人们会比现在体贴得多。连乌鸦也会的。”
“Why not? If every woman had a direwolf, men would be much sweeter. Even crows.”
“哈！”巨人克星托蒙德笑道：“可别跟这位吵嘴，斯诺大人，她对于你我这样的人来说可聪明多了。最好快点把她抢走，在托拉格醒悟过来把她抢了之前。”
“Har!” laughed Tormund Giantsbane. “Don’t bandy words with this one, Lord Snow, she’s too clever for the likes o’ you and me. Best steal her quick, before Toregg wakes up and takes her first.”
那个呆子Axell Florent怎么说瓦尔来着？“一个适合结婚的女孩，看着也不难看。有着一对丰乳，有着一副翘臀，就生孩子来说再合适不过了”的确如此，但是这位女野人要比这个描述强得多。找到守夜人的骑兵无法找到的托蒙德这件事足以证明这一点。她也许不会成为一个公主，但作为一个妻子来说却配得上任何一个国王。
What had that oaf Axell Florent said of Val? “A nubile girl, not hard to look upon. Good hips, good breasts, well made for whelping children.” All true enough, but the wildling woman was so much more. She had proved that by finding Tormund where seasoned rangers of the Watch had failed. She may not be a princess, but she would make a worthy wife for any lord.
但是这条路早已经被封死了，下手的就是琼恩自己。“托拉格对她来说很合适，”他说道。“我投他一票。”
But that bridge had been burned a long time ago, and Jon himself had thrown the torch. “Toregg is welcome to her,” he announced. “I took a vow.”
“他不会介意的，是吧，妹子？”
“She won’t mind. Will you, girl?”
瓦尔用她的长骨刀轻轻地拍了拍她的屁股。“只要乌鸦之王敢的话，我的床欢迎他在任何一个夜晚潜入。当他被我阉了之后，那些投票我就不会很介意了。”
Val patted the long bone knife on her hip. “Lord Crow is welcome to steal into my bed any night he dares. Once he’s been gelded, keeping those vows will come much easier for him.”
“哈！”托蒙德又哼了一声。“你听到了没，托拉格？离这位远点。我有一个女儿就够了，不需要另一个。”他摇了摇头，这位野人首领迈着鸭步回到了他的帐篷里。
“Har!” Tormund snorted again. “You hear that, Toregg? Stay away from this one. I have one daughter, don’t need another.” Shaking his head, the wildling chief ducked back inside his tent.
琼恩挠着白灵的耳背，托拉格牵着瓦尔的马。她骑在灰色的骡马上。这匹马是她离开长城时，Mully所赐，蓬松多毛，结实强壮，一眼失明。当她开始返回长城时，她问，“孩子长得如何？”
As Jon scratched Ghost behind the ear, Toregg brought up Val’s horse for her. She still rode the grey garron that Mully had given her the day she left the Wall, a shaggy, stunted thing blind in one eye. As she turned it toward the Wall, she asked, “How fares the little monster?”
“和你离开我们时比，他已经变大了1倍，嗓门也比那时大了2倍。当他想吃奶时，就算在东海望也能听到他的哭嚎。”琼恩骑在自己的马上。
“Twice as big as when you left us, and thrice as loud. When he wants the teat, you can hear him wail in Eastwatch.” Jon mounted his own horse.
瓦尔和他并骑。“那么……按我所说，我带你来见了托蒙德。那么现在呢？我能会我以前的房间看看么？”
Val fell in beside him. “So … I brought you Tormund, as I said I would. What now? Am I to be returned to my old cell?”
“你以前的房间已经给别人用了。赛丽丝皇后把国王塔占为己有。你还记得哈丁塔不？”
“Your old cell is occupied. Queen Selyse has claimed the King’s Tower, for her own. Do you remember Hardin’s Tower?”
“看上去要将要倾倒的那个？”
“The one that looks about to collapse?”
“它保持那个样子已近百年。我把那座塔的顶层为你收拾出来了，夫人。那里比你在国王塔的房间更大，不过那里可能不如之前那样舒适。毕竟没有人称其为哈丁宫。”
“It’s looked that way for a hundred years. I’ve had the top floor made ready for you, my lady. You will have more room than in the King’s Tower, though you may not be as comfortable. No one has ever called it Hardin’s Palace.”
“和舒适比，我更在乎自由。”
“I would choose freedom over comfort every time.”
“你在城堡中行动自由，只是恐怕你必须在我们控制之下。我能保证你不会被任何不速之客打扰。哈丁塔由守夜人守备，并非后党。另外，Wun Wun会睡在入口大厅。”
“Freedom of the castle you shall have, but I regret to say you must remain a captive. I can promise that you will not be troubled by unwanted visitors, however. My own men guard Hardin’s Tower, not the queen’s. And Wun Wun sleeps in the entry hall.”
“巨人守卫？哪怕Dalla也不敢如此夸口。”
“A giant as protector? Even Dalla could not boast of that.”
托蒙德的野人注视这他们经过，从帐篷里和无叶树下lean-tos注视着他们。琼恩注意到每一个还有战斗力的男性旁都有三个女人和同样多的孩子，他们憔悴的脸上毫无表情，一双双眼镜凝视着他们。记得曼斯·雷德领导自由民一路杀至长城时，他的跟随者驱赶庞大的羊群和猪群，而现在，目光所及只有零星几头猛犸象。要不是因为害怕凶猛的巨人，想必它们也将会被宰杀。对此琼恩深信不疑。猛犸象的尸骨可以提供丰富的肉。
Tormund’s wildlings watched them pass, peering out from tents and lean-tos beneath leafless trees. For every man of fighting age, Jon saw three women and as many children, gaunt-faced things with hollow cheeks and staring eyes. When Mance Rayder had led the free folk down upon the Wall, his followers drove large herds of sheep and goats and swine before them, but now the only animals to be seen were the mammoths. If not for the ferocity of the giants, those would have been slaughtered too, he did not doubt. There was a lot of meat on a mammoth’s bones.
琼恩也看到了疾病的迹象。这一点令琼恩不安到难以言表。如若托蒙德的队伍都遭受了饥饿与疾病困扰，那数千名随森林女巫前往艰难堡的人的处境将更难以想象。卡特·派克会很快抵达他们那儿。如果顺风顺水，恐怕他的船队已经塞满自由民在向东海望返航了。
Jon saw signs of sickness too. That disquieted him more than he could say. If Tormund’s band were starved and sick, what of the thousands who had followed Mother Mole to Hardhome? Cotter Pyke should reach them soon. If the winds were kind, his fleet might well be on its way back to Eastwatch even now, with as many of the free folk as he could cram aboard.
“你和托蒙德谈得怎样？”瓦尔问。
“How did you fare with Tormund?” asked Val.
“他要求一年时间。然而最困难的部分仍等待着我，也许最后那些为他们准备的东西终究会由我的承担。我害怕他们并不领情。”
“Ask me a year from now. The hard part still awaits me. The part where I convince mine own to eat this meal I’ve cooked for them. None of them are going to like the taste, I fear.”
“我来帮你。”
“Let me help.”
“你已经帮过我了。你带我去见了托蒙德。”
“You have. You brought me Tormund.”
“我还能做更多。”
“I can do more.”
何乐而不为？琼恩想。他们相信她是公主。瓦尔骑马的样子看上去有如是在马背上出生。一个战士公主，琼恩认为，不是那种被囚禁在高塔上的纤细的，抚着头发的，终日等待骑士前来拯救的公主。“我得告知王后这个约定，”他说。“若你肯屈膝，你也可去见她。”否则，还未开口一切便将被视作是冒犯。
Why not? thought Jon. They are all convinced she is a princess. Val looked the part and rode as if she had been born on horseback. A warrior princess, he decided, not some willowy creature who sits up in a tower, brushing her hair and waiting for some knight to rescue her. “I must inform the queen of this agreement,” he said. “You are welcome to come meet her, if you can find it in yourself to bend a knee.” It would never do to offend Her Grace before he even opened his mouth.
“下跪时我能够大笑吗？”
“May I laugh when I kneel?”
“最好别。这绝非儿戏。我们的民族之间早已血流成河。史坦尼斯·拜拉席恩是为数不多的愿意承认野人属于王国的人。我需要他的王后来支持我已做的一切。
“You may not. This is no game. A river of blood runs between our peoples, old and deep and red. Stannis Baratheon is one of the few who favors admitting wildlings to the realm. I need his queen’s support for what I’ve done.”
瓦尔脸上欢快的笑容消失了。“我保证，雪诺大人。我会成为你王后的规矩的野人公主。”
Val’s playful smile died. “You have my word, Lord Snow. I will be a proper wildling princess for your queen.”
她并非我的皇后，他也许该这样说。说实话，琼恩已经迫不及待她离开。如果诸神保佑，她还会带走梅丽珊卓。
She is not my queen, he might have said. If truth be told, the day of her departure cannot come too fast for me. And if the gods are good, she will take Melisandre with her.
剩下的路，他们一言不发。白灵在他们脚边慢跑。莫尔蒙的乌鸦跟着他们直到大门，随着大家下马，它也拍打着向上飞走。马儿带着火炬走在前面以照亮冰隧道里的路。
They rode the rest of the way in silence, Ghost loping at their heels. Mormont’s raven followed them as far as the gate, then flapped upward as the rest of them dismounted. Horse went ahead with a brand to light the way through the icy tunnel.
当琼恩和他的队伍出现在长城之南时，一小群黑衣弟兄正等在大门。御林的Ulmer和他们在一起，这位老弓箭手走上前代表其他人说。“无意冒昧，大人，小伙子们很好奇结果是和平的，还是充满鲜血与杀戮的。”
A small crowd of black brothers was waiting by the gate when Jon and his companions emerged south of the Wall. Ulmer of the Kingswood was amongst them, and it was the old archer who came forward to speak for the rest. “If it please m’lord, the lads were wondering. Will it be peace, m’lord? Or blood and iron?”
“和平的，”琼恩·雪诺答道。“三天后，‘巨人克星’托蒙德将带领他的人作为朋友而非敌人越过长城。有一部分人甚至会壮大我们的队伍，成为我们的兄弟。我们有必要和他们融洽相处。现在，回到你们各自的岗位。”琼恩把缰绳交给纱丁。“我务必觐见赛丽丝皇后。”若他没有及时觐见，陛下就将视此为轻蔑行径。“之后我要写信，把羊皮纸、羽毛笔还有学生的墨水罐带到我的卧房。之后召来马尔锡，Yarwyck，Cellador修士和Clydas。”Cellador可能还没醒酒，Clydas只是一个学士的可怜代替品，但是在山姆回来之前，除了用他们琼恩别无选择。“还有northmen也叫来，Flint 和Norrey。Leathers，你也要来。”
“Peace,” Jon Snow replied. “Three days hence, Tormund Giantsbane will lead his people through the Wall. As friends, not foes. Some may even swell our ranks, as brothers. It will be for us to make them welcome. Now back to your duties.” Jon handed the reins of his horse to Satin. “I must see Queen Selyse.” Her Grace would take it as a slight if he did not come to her at once. “Afterward I will have letters to write. Bring parchment, quills, and a pot of maester’s black to my chambers. Then summon Marsh, Yarwyck, Septon Cellador, Clydas.” Cellador would be half-drunk, and Clydas was a poor substitute for a real maester, but they were what he had. Till Sam returns. “The northmen too. Flint and Norrey. Leathers, you should be there as well.”
“哈布在烤洋葱派，”纱丁说。“要叫他们和你共进晚餐吗？”
“Hobb is baking onion pies,” said Satin. “Shall I request that they all join you for supper?”
琼恩思忖。“不。叫他们在日落之时到长城顶上见我。”他转向瓦尔。“小姐。请和我同去。”
Jon considered. “No. Ask them to join me atop the Wall at sunset.” He turned to Val. “My lady. With me, if you please.”
“乌鸦命令，俘虏服从。”她调侃地说。“想必若是参见你的王后时不下跪，她就会变得狂暴吧。要不要我披上盔甲而非羊毛兽皮以保护自己？妲娜曾给过我一套这种衣服，我想早晚我会变得血迹斑斑伤痕累累。”
“The crow commands, the captive must obey.” Her tone was playful. “This queen of yours must be fierce if the legs of grown men give out beneath them when they meet her. Should I have dressed in mail instead of wool and fur? These clothes were given to me by Dalla, I would sooner not get bloodstains all over them.”
“倘若语言能够伤人，你倒是有理由如此恐惧。小姐，我觉得现在这样穿就很安全了。”
“If words drew blood, you might have cause to fear. I think your clothes are safe enough, my lady.”
他们向国王塔走去，沿着刚被铲走脏雪的路。“我听说你的王后长有黑色胡须。”
They made their way toward the King’s Tower, along fresh-shoveled pathways between mounds of dirty snow. “I have heard it said that your queen has a great dark beard.”
琼恩知道他不该笑，但他还是笑了。“只是一撮小胡子而已。极其纤细，你甚至能数清有几根。”
Jon knew he should not smile, but he did. “Only a mustache. Very wispy. You can count the hairs.”
“真让人失望啊。”
“How disappointing.”
赛丽丝·拜拉席恩热衷于发号施令的感觉，因此她似乎并不急于离开舒适的黑城堡前往长夜堡。她把守卫留在身边，四个人驻守着门，两人在外面的台阶上，两个人在屋里守在火盆旁。国王山的派崔克爵士负责统领他们，覆盖在骑士盔甲上的披风乃是白蓝银三色，其上绘有许多五角星。见到瓦尔时，骑士单膝跪地并亲吻了她的手套。“你比我所知的更为美丽，公主，”他表示。“王后曾给我说过你的美貌。”
For all her talk about wanting to be mistress of her seat, Selyse Baratheon seemed in no great haste to abandon the comforts of Castle Black for the shadows of the Nightfort. She kept guards, of course—four men posted at the door, two outside on the steps, two inside by the brazier. Commanding them was Ser Patrek of King’s Mountain, clad in his knightly raiment of white and blue and silver, his cloak a spatter of five-pointed stars. When presented to Val, the knight sank to one knee to kiss her glove. “You are even lovelier than I was told, princess,” he declared. “The queen has told me much and more of your beauty.”
“真是诡异，她根本没有见过我。”瓦尔轻轻拍了下派崔克爵士的头。“起来吧，下跪爵士。请起，请起。”听上去她就像是在驯狗。
“How odd, when she has never seen me.” Val patted Ser Patrek on the head. “Up with you now, ser kneeler. Up, up.” She sounded as if she were talking to a dog.
琼恩竭尽全力憋住笑。他板着脸告诉骑士他们要觐见王后。于是派崔克爵士派了一个全副武装的人爬上台阶去询问王后是否愿意接见他们。“但是狼必须留在这里，”派崔克爵士强调。
It was all that Jon could do not to laugh. Stone-faced, he told the knight that they required audience with the queen. Ser Patrek sent one of the men-at-arms scrambling up the steps to inquire as to whether Her Grace would receive them. “The wolf stays here, though,” Ser Patrek insisted.
琼恩早已接受这样的要求。冰原狼就像Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun（看守哈丁塔的巨人）一样，能令赛丽丝王后焦躁不安。“白灵，待在这。”
Jon had expected that. The direwolf made Queen Selyse anxious, almost as much as Wun Weg Wun Dar Wun. “Ghost, stay.”
王后在火边缝纫，此刻她的弄臣正随着只有他听得到的音乐起舞，挂在鹿角上的铃铛叮当作响。“乌鸦，乌鸦，”补丁脸看到琼恩时大声唱着。“海里的乌鸦如雪白，我知道，我知道，哦，哦，哦。”席琳公主在靠窗的椅子上蜷成一团，她拉起的面罩遮住了灰鳞病在她脸上留下的可怕疤痕。
They found Her Grace sewing by the fire, whilst her fool danced about to music only he could hear, the cowbells on his antlers clanging. “The crow, the crow,” Patchface cried when he saw Jon. “Under the sea the crows are white as snow, I know, I know, oh, oh, oh.” Princess Shireen was curled up in a window seat, her hood drawn up to hide the worst of the greyscale that had disfigured her face.
没看到梅丽珊卓。琼恩对此尤为欣慰。琼恩早晚要面对这个红袍女，但至少不是在这次觐见王后时面对。“王后陛下。”琼恩单膝跪地。瓦尔也如此效仿。
There was no sign of Lady Melisandre. For that much Jon was grateful. Soon or late he would need to face the red priestess, but he would sooner it was not in the queen’s presence. “Your Grace.” He took a knee. Val did likewise.
赛丽丝王后把正在缝纫的活放在一边。“请起。”
Queen Selyse set aside her sewing. “You may rise.”
“请允许我向您介绍瓦尔，王后陛下，她的姐姐妲娜是……”
“If it please Your Grace, may I present the Lady Val? Her sister Dalla was—”
“……那个整日哭嚎以致于无人能够安眠的孩子的母亲。我知道她是谁，雪诺大人。”王后吸口气。“她能在史坦尼斯国王之前回来对你来说实在是件好事，否则这哭嚎将为你引来史坦尼斯的怒火。”
“—mother to that squalling babe who keeps us awake at night. I know who she is, Lord Snow.” The queen sniffed. “You are fortunate that she returned to us before the king my husband, else it might have gone badly for you. Very badly indeed.”
“你是野人公主吗？”席琳问瓦尔。
“Are you the wildling princess?” Shireen asked Val.
“有些人这么说，”瓦尔回答。“我的姐姐是塞外之王曼斯·雷德的妻子，她死于难产。”
“Some call me that,” said Val. “My sister was wife to Mance Rayder, the King-Beyond-the-Wall. She died giving him a son.”
“我也是公主，”席琳说，“但我却没有姐妹。我曾经有个堂兄，后来他被送走了。他是一个私生子，但我喜欢他。”
“I’m a princess too,” Shireen announced, “but I never had a sister. I used to have a cousin once, before he sailed away. He was just a bastard, but I liked him.”
“不要撒谎！席琳。”她的母亲说。“总司令大人到这里不是来听关于劳勃的流言蜚语的。补丁脸，逗公主高兴并带她回房间。”
“Honestly, Shireen,” her mother said. “I am sure the lord commander did not come to hear about Robert’s by-blows. Patchface, be a good fool and take the princess to her room.”
补丁脸头上的铃铛又响了起来。“带走，带走，”弄臣唱道。“海底下跟我走，带走，带走，带走。”他一只手牵着小公主蹦跳着把她拖出房间。
The bells on his hat rang. “Away, away,” the fool sang. “Come with me beneath the sea, away, away, away.” He took the little princess by one hand and drew her from the room, skipping.
琼恩说，“王后陛下，自由民的领袖已经同意我的条件。”
Jon said, “Your Grace, the leader of the free folk has agreed to my terms.”
赛丽丝王后轻轻点头。“我的丈夫希望给予这些野蛮人庇护所。只要他们维护王国的和平，遵守国王的律法，我们的王国欢迎他们。”
Queen Selyse gave the tiniest of nods. “It was ever my lord husband’s wish to grant sanctuary to these savage peoples. So long as they keep the king’s peace and the king’s laws, they are welcome in our realm.” She pursed her lips. “I am told they have more giants with them.”
王后皱起嘴唇。“我听说他们有更多巨人。”
Val answered. “Almost two hundred of them, Your Grace. And more than eighty mammoths.”
瓦尔回答。“大概有200来个，陛下。此外还有超过80头猛犸象。”王后听到这颤栗了一下。“可怕的生物。”琼恩不知道她指的是巨人还是猛犸象。“虽说这些野兽能在我丈夫作战时大有所用。”
The queen shuddered. “Dreadful creatures.” Jon could not tell if she was speaking of the mammoths or the giants. “Though such beasts might be useful to my lord husband in his battles.”
“的确有可能，王后陛下，”琼恩说，“但是猛犸象过于庞大而无法通过长城的通道。”
“That may be, Your Grace,” Jon said, “but the mammoths are too big to pass through our gate.”
“就不能拓宽通道？”
“Cannot the gate be widened?”
“额……，我觉得这样并不明智。”
“That … that would be unwise, I think.”
赛丽丝深吸口气。“如你所说。毫无疑问你了解他们。那么你打算把野人安置在哪？鼹鼠村显然不够大……他们有多少人？”
Selyse sniffed. “If you say so. No doubt you know about such things. Where do you mean to settle these wildlings? Surely Mole’s Town is not large enough to contain … how many are they?”
“足足四千，王后陛下。他们将协助我们驻防闲置城堡，以更好地守卫长城。”
“Four thousand, Your Grace. They will help us garrison our abandoned castles, the better to defend the Wall.”
“据我所知那些城堡已经是废墟残骸。忧郁的地方，荒凉寒冷，简直就是一堆堆瓦砾。在东海望我们还听说了关于老鼠与蜘蛛的传言。”
“I had been given to understand that those castles were ruins. Dismal places, bleak and cold, hardly more than heaps of rubble. At Eastwatch we heard talk of rats and spiders.”