TYRION
56 提利昂
Chella daughter
of Cheyk of the Black Ears had gone ahead to scout, and it was she who brought
back word of the army at the crossroads. “By their fires I call them twenty
thousand strong,” she said. “Their banners are red, with a golden lion.”
黑耳部的齐克之女齐拉当先去侦察，带回岔路口有支军队的消息。“从他们的营火计算，应该有两万个，”她说，“红旗子，上面一只金狮子。”
“Your father?” Bronn asked.
“是你父亲？”波隆问。
“Or my brother Jaime,” Tyrion said. “We shall know soon enough.” He
surveyed his ragged band of brigands: near three hundred Stone Crows, Moon
Brothers, Black Ears, and Burned Men, and those just the seed of the army he
hoped to grow. Gunthor son of Gurn was raising the other clans even now. He
wondered what his lord father would make of them in their skins and bits of
stolen steel. If truth be told, he did not know what to make of them himself.
Was he their commander or their captive? Most of the time, it seemed to be a
little of both. “It might be best if I rode down alone,” he suggested.
“要不就是我老哥詹姆。”提利昂说，“我们很快就会知道了。”他检视着自己这支衣着破烂的土匪队伍：三百名来自石鸦部、月人部、黑耳部和灼人部的原住民，这只是他着手组建的军队的种子。而冈恩之子冈梭尔此刻正在召集其他部落。他不知父亲看了这些身穿兽皮、手持偷来的破铜烂铁的人会怎么说，事实上，他自己看了都不知道该说什么才好。他究竟是他们的首领还是俘虏？恐怕是两者皆有罢。“我最好自个儿下去。”他提议。
“Best for Tyrion son of Tywin,” said Ulf, who spoke for the Moon
Brothers.
“对泰温之子提利昂来说最好。”月人部的首领乌尔夫说。
Shagga glowered,
a fearsome sight to see. “Shagga son of Dolf likes this not. Shagga will go
with the boyman, and if the boyman lies, Shagga will chop off his manhood...”
夏嘎睁大眼睛瞪着他，露出骇人的神情。“多夫之子夏嘎不喜欢。夏嘎要和小男人一起去，如果小男人说谎，夏嘎就会剁掉他的命根子——”
“...and feed it to the goats, yes,” Tyrion said wearily. “Shagga, I
give you my word as a Lannister, I will return.”
“——拿去喂山羊，我知道。”提利昂有气无力地说，“夏嘎，我以兰尼斯特家之名起誓，我会回来的。”
“Why should we trust your word?” Chella was a small hard woman, flat
as a boy, and no fool. “Lowland lords have lied to the clans before.”
“我们为什么要相信你的话？”齐拉是个矮小强悍的女人，胸平坦得和男孩子一样，却一点也不笨。“平地人的酋长以前欺骗过山上部落。”
“You wound me, Chella,” Tyrion said. “Here I thought we had become
such friends. But as you will. You shall ride with me, and Shagga and Conn for
the Stone Crows, Ulf for the Moon Brothers, and Timett son of Timett for the
Burned Men.” The clansmen exchanged wary looks as he named them. “The rest
shall wait here until I send for you. Try not to kill and maim each other while
I’m gone.”
“齐拉，你这样说真是太伤我的心了，”提利昂道，“我还以为我们已经成了好朋友呢。不过算啦，你就跟我一道去吧，夏嘎、康恩代表石鸦部，乌尔夫代表月人部，提魅之子提魅代表灼人部，你们几个也一起来。”被他点名的原住民满怀戒心地彼此看看。“其余的留在这里等我通知。我不在的时候，拜托千万不要自相残杀。”
He put his heels
to his horse and trotted off, giving them no choice but to follow or be left
behind. Either was fine with him, so long as they did not sit down to talk for
a day and a night. That was the trouble with the clans; they had an absurd
notion that every man’s voice should be heard in council, so they argued about
everything, endlessly. Even their women were allowed to speak. Small wonder
that it had been hundreds of years since they last threatened the Vale with
anything beyond an occasional raid. Tyrion meant to change that.
他两腿一夹马肚，向前快跑，逼他们要么立刻跟上，要么被抛在后面。其实他们有没有跟上对他来说都没差，怕只怕他们坐下来“讨论”个三天三夜。这是原住民最麻烦的地方，他们有种古怪的观念，认为开会的时候每个人都有权表达意见，甚至连女人也有开口的权利，所以不论事情大小，他们一律争吵不休。难怪几百年来，除了偶尔实施小规模的突袭，他们无法真正威胁到艾林谷。提利昂有意改变这个局面。
Brorm rode with
him. Behind them, after a quick bit of grumbling, the five clansmen followed on
their undersize garrons, scrawny things that looked like ponies and scrambled
up rock walls like goats.
波隆和他并肩而行，身后——咕哝了几声以后——五个原住民骑着营养不良的矮种马跟了上来。每匹马都骨瘦如柴，看起来小得可怜，走在颠簸山路上活像是山羊。
The Stone Crows
rode together, and Chella and Ulf stayed close as well, as the Moon Brothers
and Black Ears had strong bonds between them. Timett son of Timett rode alone.
Every clan in the Mountains of the Moon feared the Burned Men, who mortified
their flesh with fire to prove their courage and (the others said) roasted
babies at their feasts. And even the other Burned Men feared Timett, who had
put out his own left eye with a white-hot knife when he reached the age of
manhood. Tyrion gathered that it was more customary for a boy to burn off a
nipple, a finger, or (if he was truly brave, or truly mad) an ear. Timett’s
fellow Burned Men were so awed by his choice of an eye that they promptly named
him a red hand, which seemed to be some sort of a war chief.
两个石鸦部的人走在一块，齐拉跟乌尔夫靠得很近，因为月人部和黑耳部之间的关系向来密切。提魅之子提魅则独自前行。明月山脉里的每一个部落都害怕灼人部，因为他们用火自虐来证明勇气，甚至在宴会上烧烤婴儿来吃（这是其他几部说的）。而提魅更令所有灼人部民害怕，因为他成年的时候用一把烧得白热的尖刀剜出了自己的左眼。提利昂大致听出，灼人部中一般男孩的成年礼多半是烧掉自己的一边乳头、一根手指或是（只有非常勇敢或非常疯狂的人才做得出）一只耳朵。提魅的灼人部同胞由于对他的挖眼行径大为折服，立刻便让他成为“红手”，约略等于战争领袖的意思。
“I wonder what their king burned off,” Tyrion said to Bronn when he
heard the tale. Grinning, the sellsword had tugged at his crotch?.?.?.?but even
Bronn kept a respectful tongue around Timett. If a man was mad enough to put
out his own eye, he was unlikely to be gentle to his enemies.
“我真想知道他们的国王烧掉的是什么。”提利昂听这故事的时候，对波隆这么说。佣兵嘿嘿一笑，伸手指指他的胯下……不过就连波隆，在提魅身边讲话也特别小心。既然这人疯到连自己眼睛都敢挖出来，想必不会对敌人温柔。
Distant watchers
peered down from towers of unmortared stone as the party descended through the
foothills, and once Tyrion saw a raven take wing. Where the high road twisted
between two rocky outcrops, they came to the first strong point. A low earthen
wall four feet high closed off the road, and a dozen crossbowmen manned the
heights. Tyrion halted his followers out of range and rode to the wall alone.
“Who commands here?” he shouted up.
队伍骑马走下山麓小丘，远处，未砌水泥的石制嘹望塔上，守卫正向下扫视。一只渡鸦振翅高飞。山路夹在裸岩中间转弯，他们来到了第一个有重兵防守的关卡。道路为一堵四尺陶土矮墙所阻挡，高处站有十来个十字弓兵负责把守。提利昂要同伴们停在射程之外，策马独自走近。“这儿由谁负责？”
The captain was
quick to appear, and even quicker to give them an escort when he recognized his
lord’s son. They trotted past blackened fields and burned holdfasts, down to
the riverlands and the Green Fork of the Trident. Tyrion saw no bodies, but the
air was full of ravens and carrion crows; there had been fighting here, and
recently.
守卫队长很快出现，一认出他是领主的儿子，立刻派人马护送他们下山。他们快马跑过焦黑的田野和焚尽的村舍，进入河间地区，接近三叉戟河的支流绿叉河。提利昂虽没看见尸体，但空气中弥漫着专食腐尸的乌鸦发出的味道；显然这里最近曾发生战斗。
Half a league
from the crossroads, a barricade of sharpened stakes had been erected, manned
by pikemen and archers. Behind the line, the camp spread out to the far
distance. Thin fingers of smoke rose from hundreds of cookfires, mailed men sat
under trees and honed their blades, and familiar banners fluttered from staffs
thrust into the muddy ground.
离十字路口半里格的地方，架起了一道削尖木桩排列的防御工事，由长矛兵和弓箭手负责防守。防线之后，营地绵延直至远方，炊烟如纤细的手指，自几百座营火中升起，全副武装的人坐在树下磨利武器，熟悉的旗帜飘扬风中，旗竿深深插进泥泞的地面。
A party of
mounted horsemen rode forward to challenge them as they approached the stakes.
The knight who led them wore silver armor inlaid with amethysts and a striped
purple-and-silver cloak. His shield bore a unicorn sigil, and a spiral horn two
feet long jutted up from the brow of his horsehead helm. Tyrion reined up to
greet him. “Ser Flement.”
他们走近木栅时，一群骑兵上前盘问。领头的骑士身穿镶紫水晶的银铠甲，肩披紫银条纹披风，盾牌上绘有独角兽纹饰，马形头盔前端有一根螺旋独角。提利昂勒马问候：“佛列蒙爵士。”
Ser Flement Brax
lifted his visor. “Tyrion,” he said in astonishment. “My lord, we all feared
you dead, or?.?.?.?” He looked at the clansmen uncertainly.
“These?.?.?.?companions of yours?.?.?.?”
佛列蒙·布拉克斯爵士揭起面罩。“提利昂，”他惊讶地说，“大人，我们都以为您死了，不然也……”他有些犹豫地看着那群原住民。“您的这些……同伴……”
“Bosom friends and loyal retainers,” Tyrion said. “Where will I find
my lord father?”
“他们是我亲密的朋友和忠诚的部属，”提利昂道，“我父亲在哪儿？”
“He has taken the inn at the crossroads for his quarters.”
“他暂时将岔路口的旅店当成指挥总部。”
Tyrion laughed.
The inn at the crossroads! Perhaps the gods were just after all. “I will see
him at once.”
提利昂不禁苦笑，路口那家旅店！或许天上诸神当真有其公理在。“我这就去见他。”
“As you say, my lord.” Ser Flement wheeled his horse about and
shouted commands. Three rows of stakes were pulled from the ground to make a
hole in the line. Tyrion led his party through.
“遵命，大人。”佛列蒙爵士调转马头，一声令下，便有人将三排木桩从地上拔起，空出一条路来，让提利昂带着他的人马穿过。
Lord Tywin’s
camp spread over leagues. Chella’s estimate of twenty thousand men could not be
far wrong. The common men camped out in the open, but the knights had thrown up
tents, and some of the high lords had erected pavilions as large as houses.
Tyrion spied the red ox of the Presters, Lord Crakehall’s brindled boar, the
burning tree of Marbrand, the badger of Lydden. Knights called out to him as he
cantered past, and men-at-arms gaped at the clansmen in open astonishment.
泰温公爵的军营广达数里，齐拉估计的两万人与事实相去不远。普通士兵露天扎营，骑士则搭建帐篷，而有些领主的营帐大得像房屋一样。提利昂瞥见普莱斯特家族的红牛纹饰、克雷赫伯爵的斑纹野猪、马尔布兰家族的燃烧之树，以及莱顿家族的獾。他快步跑过，骑士们纷纷向他打招呼，而民兵见了那群原住民，吃惊得张大了嘴。
Shagga was
gaping back; beyond a certainty, he had never seen so many men, horses, and
weapons in all his days. The rest of the mountain brigands did a better job of
guarding their faces, but Tyrion had no doubts that they were full as much in
awe. Better and better. The more impressed they were with the power of the
Lannisters, the easier they would be to command.
夏嘎的嘴张得也不小；显然他这辈子都没见过这么多人、马和武器。其他几名高山盗匪的惊讶之情掩饰得稍微好一点，但提利昂认为他们的惊讶程度绝不在夏嘎之下。情况对他越来越有利了，他们越是对兰尼斯特家的势力感到折服，就越容易听他摆布。
The inn and its
stables were much as he remembered, though little more than tumbled stones and
blackened foundations remained where the rest of the village had stood. A
gibbet had been erected in the yard, and the body that swung there was covered
with ravens. At Tyrion’s approach they took to the air, squawking and flapping
their black wings. He dismounted and glanced up at what remained of the corpse.
The birds had eaten her lips and eyes and most of her cheeks, baring her
stained red teeth in a hideous smile. “A room, a meal, and a flagon of wine,
that was all I asked,” he reminded her with a sigh of reproach.
旅店和马厩与记忆中相去不远，只是村里的其他屋舍如今只剩乱石残垣和焦黑地基。旅店院子里搭起了一座绞刑台，挂在上面的尸体前后摇摆，全身停满了乌鸦。提利昂接近时，乌鸦纷纷“嘎嘎”怪叫，振翅腾空。他跳下马，抬头看着尸体的残余部分。她的嘴唇、眼睛和大半脸颊都给啃了个干净，腥红的牙齿暴露在外，露出一抹狰狞的笑容。“我不过跟你要一个房间、一顿晚饭和一瓶酒罢了。”他语带指责地叹了口气。
Boys emerged
hesitantly from the stables to see to their horses. Shagga did not want to give
his up. “The lad won’t steal your mare,” Tyrion assured him. “He only wants to
give her some oats and water and brush out her coat.” Shagga’s coat could have
used a good brushing too, but it would have been less than tactful to mention
it. “You have my word, the horse will not be harmed.”
几个小男孩迟疑地从马厩里出来照料他们的马匹，可夏嘎不愿交出自己的坐骑。“这小鬼不会偷你的母马啦，”提利昂向他保证。“他只是想喂它吃点燕麦，喝些水，刷刷背罢了。”老实说，夏嘎自己的毛皮外衣也很需要刷一刷，不过直接说出口未免太没技巧了。“我跟你保证，马儿绝不会受伤。”
Glaring, Shagga
let go his grip on the reins. “This is the horse of Shagga son of Dolf,” he
roared at the stableboy.
夏嘎瞪大眼睛，松开紧握缰绳的手。“这是多夫之子夏嘎的马。”他朝马厩小厮咆哮。
“If he doesn’t give her back, chop off his manhood and feed it to the
goats,” Tyrion promised. “Provided you can find some.”
“如果他不把马还你，就剁掉他的命根子，拿去喂山羊。”提利昂保证，“不过你得先找到山羊。”
A pair of house
guards in crimson cloaks and lion-crested helms stood under the inn’s sign, on
either side of the door. Tyrion recognized their captain. “My father?”
旅店招牌下站了两个红袍狮盔的卫士，一左一右看守着门。提利昂认出了侍卫队长。“我父亲人呢？”
“In the common room, m’lord.”
“在大厅里，大人。”
“My men will want meat and mead,” Tyrion told him. “See that they get
it.” He entered the inn, and there was Father.
“我的人需要吃喝，”提利昂告诉他，“交给你打点。”他走进旅店，立刻看到了父亲。
Tywin Lannister,
Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, was in his middle fifties, yet
hard as a man of twenty. Even seated, he was tall, with long legs, broad
shoulders, a flat stomach. His thin arms were corded with muscle. When his
once-thick golden hair had begun to recede, he had commanded his barber to
shave his head; Lord Tywin did not believe in half measures. He razored his lip
and chin as well, but kept his side-whiskers, two great thickets of wiry golden
hair that covered most of his cheeks from ear to jaw. His eyes were a pale
green, flecked with gold. A fool more foolish than most had once jested that
even Lord Tywin’s shit was flecked with gold. Some said the man was still
alive, deep in the bowels of Casterly Rock.
身兼凯岩城公爵与西境守护二职的泰温·兰尼斯特现年五十多岁，却健壮得像个二十岁的小伙子。即便坐着，他依旧显得身躯高大，两腿颀长，肩膀宽厚，小腹平坦，手臂虽细却肌肉结实。自从原本蓬厚的金发开始渐渐稀少后，他便命令理发师把他剃成光头；泰温公爵是个做事果敢决断的人，因此他也把唇边和下巴的胡子通通刮干净，只留两颊鬓须，两大丛结实的金胡子从双耳一直覆到下颚。他的眼睛淡绿中带着金黄。曾经有个愚蠢的弄臣开玩笑说泰温大人连拉的屎里都有黄金——此人据说还活着，不过住在凯岩城最深处的地牢里。
Ser Kevan Lannister,
his father’s only surviving brother, was sharing a flagon of ale with Lord
Tywin when Tyrion entered the common room. His uncle was portly and balding,
with a close-cropped yellow beard that followed the line of his massive jaw.
Ser Kevan saw him first. “Tyrion,” he said in surprise.
提利昂走进旅店大厅时，泰温公爵正和他仅存的手足——凯冯·兰尼斯特爵士喝着一瓶麦酒。叔叔有些发胖，头也快秃了，下巴全是肉，黄胡子修剪得很短。凯冯爵士首先看到他。“提利昂？”他惊讶地说。
“Uncle,” Tyrion said, bowing. “And my lord father. What a pleasure to
find you here.”
“叔叔，”提利昂一鞠躬，“父亲大人。见到你们真好。”
Lord Tywin did
not stir from his chair, but he did give his dwarf son a long, searching look.
“I see that the rumors of your demise were unfounded.”
泰温公爵并未起身，他只意味深长地打量了侏儒儿子一番。“看来关于你已死的传言不攻自破了。”
“Sorry to disappoint you, Father,” Tyrion said. “No need to leap up
and embrace me, I wouldn’t want you to strain yourself.” He crossed the room to
their table, acutely conscious of the way his stunted legs made him waddle with
every step. Whenever his father’s eyes were on him, he became uncomfortably
aware of all his deformities and shortcomings. “Kind of you to go to war for
me,” he said as he climbed into a chair and helped himself to a cup of his
father’s ale.
“真抱歉让您失望，父亲大人。”提利昂说，“千万不用跳起来拥抱我，我可不希望您扭到腰。”他穿过房间，走到桌边，一边走一边觉得自己畸形的腿摇摇摆摆、格外醒目。只要父亲的视线一刻停留在他身上，他就很不自在地想起自己所有的畸形和缺陷。“非常感谢您为我出兵打仗。”说着，他爬上一张椅子，自顾自地拿起父亲的酒瓶倒酒。
“By my lights, it was you who started this,” Lord Tywin replied.
“Your brother Jaime would never have meekly submitted to capture at the hands
of a woman.”
“得了吧，乱局都是你挑起的。”泰温公爵回答，“换成你哥哥詹姆，他绝不会屈服于一介妇人之手。”
“That’s one way we differ, Jaime and I. He’s taller as well, you may
have noticed.”
“这就是詹姆和我的不同之一啦。他还比我高呢，如果您注意到的话。”
His father
ignored the sally. “The honor of our House was at stake. I had no choice but to
ride. No man sheds Lannister blood with impunity.”
父亲没理会他的俏皮话。“事关家族荣誉，除了出兵，我别无选择。让兰尼斯特家人流血的人，必受惩罚，休想全身而退！”
“Hear Me Roar,” Tyrion said, grinning. The Lannister words. “Truth be
told, none of my blood was actually shed, although it was a close thing once or
twice. Morrec and Jyck were killed.”
“听我怒吼。”提利昂嘻嘻笑道，这是兰尼斯特家族的箴言。“说真的，其实我半滴血都没流，虽然有几次很接近。莫里斯和杰克却死了。”
“I suppose you will be wanting some new men.”
“所以你需要新手下？”
“Don’t trouble yourself, Father, I’ve acquired a few of my own.” He
tried a swallow of the ale. It was brown and yeasty, so thick you could almost
chew it. Very fine, in truth. A pity his father had hanged the innkeep. “How is
your war going?”
“父亲大人，这就不用劳烦您了，我自己找了几个。”他试着咽下麦酒，酒是褐色，充满发酵的味道，非常浓，浓到几乎能咀嚼，不过的确香醇之极，真可惜父亲把老板娘给吊死了。“您的战事进展如何？”
His uncle
answered. “Well enough, for the nonce. Ser Edmure had scattered small troops of
men along his borders to stop our raiding, and your lord father and I were able
to destroy most of them piecemeal before they could regroup.”
作答的是叔叔，“到目前为止，还算顺利。艾德慕爵士将人马分散为小队，派到领土边界阻止我方突袭，你父亲大人和我在他们会合之前，就将其大部各个击破。”
“Your brother has been covering himself with glory,” his father said.
“He smashed the Lords Vance and Piper at the Golden Tooth, and met the massed
power of the Tullys under the walls of Riverrun. The lords of the Trident have
been put to rout. Ser Edmure Tully was taken captive, with many of his knights
and bannermen. Lord Blackwood led a few survivors back to Riverrun, where Jaime
has them under siege. The rest fled to their own strongholds.”
“你哥哥打的胜仗则是一场接一场。”父亲说，“他先在金牙城外击溃凡斯伯爵和派柏伯爵的军队，随后在奔流城下与徒利家的主力部队进行决战。那一仗，三河诸侯被打得落花流水，艾德慕·徒利爵士和手下许多封臣骑士一同被俘。布莱伍德伯爵集结少数残兵逃回奔流城，闭门死守，詹姆正加紧围城。其他诸侯大都作鸟兽散，各自逃回家去了。”
“Your father and I have been marching on each in turn,” Ser Kevan
said. “With Lord Blackwood gone, Raventree fell at once, and Lady Whent yielded
Harrenhal for want of men to defend it. Ser Gregor burnt out the Pipers and the
Brackens?.?.?.?”
“而你父亲和我正一个一个消灭他们。”凯冯爵士说，“缺了布莱伍德伯爵坐镇，鸦树城立即陷落，河安伯爵夫人由于缺乏人手，也献出了赫伦堡。格雷果爵士则把派柏家和布雷肯家的领地烧得一干二净……”
“Leaving you unopposed?” Tyrion said.
“所以没人挡得住你们啰？”提利昂说。
“Not wholly,” Ser Kevan said. “The Mallisters still hold Seagard and
Walder Frey is marshaling his levies at the Twins.”
“也不尽然，”凯冯爵士道，“梅利斯特家依旧保有海疆城，孪河城的瓦德·佛雷也正在召集兵马。”
“No matter,” Lord Tywin said. “Frey only takes the field when the scent
of victory is in the air, and all he smells now is ruin. And Jason Mallister
lacks the strength to fight alone. Once Jaime takes Riverrun, they will both be
quick enough to bend the knee. Unless the Starks and the Arryns come forth to
oppose us, this war is good as won.”
“不碍事，”泰温公爵说，“除非嗅到胜利的气息，否则佛雷家不会出兵，而眼下空中都是溃败的味道。至于杰森·梅利斯特，他缺乏单独作战的兵力，一旦詹姆攻下奔流城，他们两家自会跟着臣服。史塔克家和艾林家若不出兵，这场仗已经赢了。”
“I would not fret overmuch about the Arryns if I were you,” Tyrion
said. “The Starks are another matter. Lord Eddard...”
“换作是我，不会太担心艾林家。”提利昂道，“但史塔克家就不一样了，艾德大人——”
“...is our hostage,” his father said. “He will lead no armies while
he rots in a dungeon under the Red Keep.”
“——是我们的人质。”父亲说，“人在红堡底下的地牢里发烂发臭，无法带兵打仗。”
“No,” Ser Kevan agreed, “but his son has called the banners and sits
at Moat Cailin with a strong host around him.”
“的确是没办法，”凯冯爵士同意，“但他儿子已经召集诸侯，目前正带着一支大军坐镇卡林湾。”
“No sword is strong until it’s been tempered,” Lord Tywin declared.
“The Stark boy is a child. No doubt he likes the sound of warhorns well enough,
and the sight of his banners fluttering in the wind, but in the end it comes
down to butcher’s work. I doubt he has the stomach for it.”
“任何一把剑，惟有试过之后方才知其效果。”泰温公爵表示，“史塔克家那小鬼还是个孩子，想必很喜欢号角吹奏、旗帜飘扬的景象，可战争毕竟是屠杀之事，只怕他承受不了。”
Things had
gotten interesting while he’d been away, Tyrion reflected. “And what is our
fearless monarch doing whilst all this ‘butcher’s work’ is being done?” he
wondered. “How has my lovely and persuasive sister gotten Robert to agree to
the imprisonment of his dear friend Ned?”
看来他缺席期间，局势产生了有趣的发展，提利昂心想。“当外面净在干些‘屠杀之事’的时候，咱们骁勇善战的国王陛下又在做什么呢？”他问，“我倒很想知道，我那能言善道的漂亮姐姐，究竟是怎么说服劳勃，同意囚禁他亲爱的伙伴奈德？”
“Robert Baratheon is dead,” his father told him. “Your nephew reigns
in King’s Landing.”
“劳勃·拜拉席恩已经死了。”父亲告诉他。“如今在君临执政的是你外甥。”
That did take
Tyrion aback. “My sister, you mean.” He took another gulp of ale. The realm
would be a much different place with Cersei ruling in place of her husband.
这倒真令提利昂大吃一惊。“你的意思是我姐姐执政？”他又灌了一口酒。眼下瑟曦的老公死了，换她掌权，王国局势必将大为动荡。
“If you have a mind to make yourself of use, I will give you a
command,” his father said. “Marq Piper and Karyl Vance are loose in our rear,
raiding our lands across the Red Fork.”
“如果你有意帮忙，我倒有个任务可以交给你。”父亲说，“马柯·派柏和卡列尔·凡斯在我们后方兴风作浪，袭击我红叉河对岸的领土。”
Tyrion made a
tsking sound. “The gall of them, fighting back. Ordinarily I’d be glad to
punish such rudeness, Father, but the truth is, I have pressing business
elsewhere.”
提利昂啧了一声。“不过就是几只寄生虫捣蛋，若是平常，我会很乐意去给这些没礼貌的家伙一点颜色瞧瞧，可是父亲大人，我还可以派上别的用场。”
“Do you?” Lord Tywin did not seem awed. “We also have a pair of Ned
Stark’s afterthoughts making a nuisance of themselves by harassing my foraging
parties. Beric Dondarrion, some young lordling with delusions of valor. He has
that fat jape of a priest with him, the one who likes to set his sword on fire.
Do you think you might be able to deal with them as you scamper off? Without
making too much a botch of it?”
“是吗？”父亲看来不为所动。“另外还有两个奈德·史塔克的余孽，专门骚扰我们的征粮部队。一个是想逞英雄的贵族少爷贝里·唐德利恩，还有他带在身边的那个痴肥僧侣，最爱让剑喷火的那位。你能发挥你逃跑的本事，去对付他们么？当然，不能给我捅出更大的漏子。”
Tyrion wiped his
mouth with the back of his hand and smiled. “Father, it warms my heart to think
that you might entrust me with?.?.?.?what, twenty men? Fifty? Are you sure you
can spare so many? Well, no matter. If I should come across Thoros and Lord
Beric, I shall spank them both.” He climbed down from his chair and waddled to
the sideboard, where a wheel of veined white cheese sat surrounded by fruit.
“First, though, I have some promises of my own to keep,” he said as he sliced
off a wedge. “I shall require three thousand helms and as many hauberks, plus
swords, pikes, steel spearheads, maces, battleaxes, gauntlets, gorgets,
greaves, breastplates, wagons to carry all this...”
提利昂用手背抹抹嘴，微笑道：“父亲，知道您这么信任我真教人感动，嗯，您要给我……二十个人？五十个？您确定拨得出这许多人手？唉，没关系，假如我碰上索罗斯和贝里大人，一定好好揍他们一顿屁股。”他爬下椅子，摇摇摆摆地走向餐具柜，柜子上摆了一盘白乳酪，周围放着水果。“不过首先，我得实现我的诺言。”他边说边切下一块奶酪。“我要三千顶头盔，三千套锁甲、剑、长枪、钢制矛头、钉头锤、战斧、铁手套、颈甲、护膝、胸甲，以及用来载运这些东西的马车——”
The door behind
him opened with a crash, so violently that Tyrion almost dropped his cheese.
Ser Kevan leapt up swearing as the captain of the guard went flying across the
room to smash against the hearth. As he tumbled down into the cold ashes, his
lion helm askew, Shagga snapped the man’s sword in two over a knee thick as a
tree trunk, threw down the pieces, and lumbered into the common room. He was
preceded by his stench, riper than the cheese and overpowering in the closed
space. “Little redcape,” he snarled, “when next you bare steel on Shagga son of
Dolf, I will chop off your manhood and roast it in the fire.”
身后的门轰然撞开，力道刚猛，提利昂差点松开手上的食物。凯冯爵士咒骂着跳起来，侍卫队长整个人飞过房间，撞上壁炉，滚进已经冷却的灰烬，狮盔歪在一边。夏嘎跟着闯进来，啪的一声，用他粗如树干的膝盖将队长的佩剑折成两段。随后他丢下断剑，大摇大摆地走进大厅，人还未到，全身有如烂乳酪的臭味先至，在密闭房间里显得格外呛人。“红衣小鬼，”他咆哮道，“下次你要再敢在多夫之子夏嘎面前拔剑，我就剁掉你的命根子，拿来用火烤。”
“What, no goats?” Tyrion said, taking a bite of cheese.
“怎么，找不到山羊？”提利昂边说边咬了口乳酪。
The other
clansmen followed Shagga into the common room, Bronn with them. The sellsword
gave Tyrion a rueful shrug.
其他几个原住民跟随夏嘎走进大厅，波隆也在其中。佣兵有些遗憾地朝提利昂耸耸肩。
“Who might you be?” Lord Tywin asked, cool as snow.
“你又是哪位？”泰温公爵问，口气冰冷如霜。
“They followed me home, Father,” Tyrion explained. “May I keep them?
They don’t eat much.”
“父亲，他们跟着我一道回家。”提利昂解释，“我可以把他们留下来吗？他们吃不了多少的。”
No one was
smiling. “By what right do you savages intrude on our councils?” demanded Ser
Kevan.
无人发笑。“你们这帮野蛮人凭什么打断我们的会议？”凯冯爵士质问。
“Savages, lowlander?” Conn might have been handsome if you washed
him. “We are free men, and free men by rights sit on all war councils.”
“平地人，你说我们是野蛮人？”若你帮他洗个澡，康恩其实还算得上英俊。“我们乃是自由人，自由人天生有权参加所有的作战会议。”
“Which one is the lion lord?” Chella asked.
“你们哪一个是狮子酋长？”齐拉问。
“They are both old men,” announced Timett son of Timett, who had yet
to see his twentieth year.
“他们两个都是老头子。”未满二十岁的提魅之子提魅宣布。
Ser Kevan’s hand
went to his sword hilt, but his brother placed two fingers on his wrist and
held him fast. Lord Tywin seemed unperturbed. “Tyrion, have you forgotten your
courtesies? Kindly acquaint us with our?.?.?.?honored guests.”
凯冯爵士伸手拔剑，但他哥哥伸出两根手指，按在他的手腕上，表示制止。泰温公爵不动声色。“提利昂，你的礼貌上哪儿去了？还不快帮我们介绍这几位……贵客。”
Tyrion licked
his fingers. “With pleasure,” he said. “The fair maid is Chella daughter of
Cheyk of the Black Ears.”
提利昂舔舔手指。“乐意之至，”他说，“这位美少女是黑耳部的齐克之女齐拉。”
“I’m no maid,” Chella protested. “My sons have taken fifty ears among
them.”
“我不是什么少女，”齐拉抗议，“我的儿子们已经割了五十只耳朵了。”
“May they take fifty more.” Tyrion waddled away from her. “This is
Conn son of Coratt. Shagga son of Dolf is the one who looks like Casterly Rock
with hair. They are Stone Crows. Here is Ulf son of Umar of the Moon Brothers,
and here Timett son of Timett, a red hand of the Burned Men. And this is Bronn,
a sellsword of no particular allegiance. He has already changed sides twice in
the short time I’ve known him, you and he ought to get on famously, Father.” To
Bronn and the clansmen he said, “May I present my lord father, Tywin son of
Tytos of House Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock, Warden of the West, Shield of
Lannisport, and once and future Hand of the King.”
“愿他们再多割五十只。”提利昂摇摇摆摆地从她身边走开。“这位是科拉特之子康恩，生得活像凯岩城堡，一身长毛的是多夫之子夏嘎，他们两个是石鸦部的。这位是月人部的乌玛尔之子乌尔夫。这位是灼人部的红手，提魅之子提魅。这是佣兵波隆，并无特定效忠对象，在我认识他的短短时间里，已经两次变节，父亲大人，他跟你应该很和得来。”然后他转向波隆和原住民，“容我为各位介绍家父，兰尼斯特家族的泰陀斯之子泰温、凯岩城公爵、西境守护、兰尼斯港之盾，以及永远的国王之手。”
Lord Tywin rose,
dignified and correct. “Even in the west, we know the prowess of the warrior
clans of the Mountains of the Moon. What brings you down from your strongholds,
my lords?”
泰温公爵站起来，那威严和气势完全符合上述头衔。“即便远处西境，明月山脉各部落战士的英勇事迹我们也时有耳闻。诸位可敬的大人，什么风将您们从自家要塞吹到这儿来的呢？”
“Horses,” said Shagga.
“我们骑马。”夏嘎说。
“A promise of silk and steel,” said Timett son of Timett.
“他答应给我们衣服和武器。”提魅之子提魅说。
Tyrion was about
to tell his lord father how he proposed to reduce the Vale of Arryn to a
smoking wasteland, but he was never given the chance. The door banged open
again. The messenger gave Tyrion’s clansmen a quick, queer look as he dropped
to one knee before Lord Tywin. “My lord,” he said, “Ser Addam bid me tell you
that the Stark host is moving down the causeway.”
提利昂正打算将他那把艾林谷化为冒烟荒原的构想告诉父亲，大门却又再度打开，便只得暂时作罢。使者用怪异的眼神飞快地瞥了提利昂那群原住民一眼，然后在泰温公爵面前单膝跪下。“启禀大人，”他说，“亚当爵士要我向您报告，史塔克军已开始沿堤道南下。”
Lord Tywin
Lannister did not smile. Lord Tywin never smiled, but Tyrion had learned to
read his father’s pleasure all the same, and it was there on his face. “So the
wolfling is leaving his den to play among the lions,” he said in a voice of
quiet satisfaction. “Splendid. Return to Ser Addam and tell him to fall back.
He is not to engage the northerners until we arrive, but I want him to harass
their flanks and draw them farther south.”
泰温·兰尼斯特公爵没有笑，泰温公爵从来不笑，但提利昂早已学会观察父亲的喜悦神情，此时此刻这样的神情明明白白地写在他脸上。“这么说来，小狼终于挪窝了，准备来跟狮子们玩玩了。”他用略带满足的口气说，“好极了。你回去吩咐亚当爵士，要他立刻撤退，在我军主力抵达之前，不准与北方人交战，但我希望他派人骚扰对方侧翼，并尽量吸引他们南下。”
“It will be as you command.” The rider took his leave.
“一切照您吩咐。”传令兵骑马离开。
“We are well situated here,” Ser Kevan pointed out. “Close to the
ford and ringed by pits and spikes. If they are coming south, I say let them
come, and break themselves against us.”
“这里地势良好，”凯冯爵士指出，“不仅接近浅滩，周围又布下了陷坑和尖桩。假如他们南下，我看不如以逸待劳，在此迎头痛击。”
“The boy may hang back or lose his courage when he sees our numbers,”
Lord Tywin replied. “The sooner the Starks are broken, the sooner I shall be
free to deal with Stannis Baratheon. Tell the drummers to beat assembly, and
send word to Jaime that I am marching against Robb Stark.”
“等见识我方的兵力后，那小鬼有可能丧失勇气，直接撤退。”泰温公爵回答，“而我们越早击败史塔克军，就能越快摆脱牵制，抽出手来，全力对付史坦尼斯。拜拉席恩。吩咐鼓手敲集合令，并派人传话通知詹姆，我要即刻进军与罗柏·史塔克决战。”
“As you will,” Ser Kevan said.
“遵命。”凯冯爵士道。
Tyrion watched
with a grim fascination as his lord father turned next to the half-wild
clansmen. “It is said that the men of the mountain clans are warriors without
fear.”
提利昂饶富兴味地看着父亲转身面向这群半野蛮的原住民。“据说高山部落的男子是勇猛无惧的战士。”
“It is said truly,” Conn of the Stone Crows answered.
“没错。”石鸦部的康恩回答。
“And the women,” Chella added.
“女人也一样，”齐拉补充。
“Ride with me against my enemies, and you shall have all my son
promised you, and more,” Lord Tywin told them.
“与我一同出兵抗敌，我保证你们能得到我儿子承诺的一切，甚至更多。”泰温公爵告诉他们。
“Would you pay us with our own coin?” Ulf son of Umar said. “Why
should we need the father’s promise, when we have the son’s?”
“我们怎么知道你会遵守约定，”乌玛尔之子乌尔夫说，“况且我们已经有了儿子的承诺，干嘛还需要父亲的？”
“I said nothing of need,” Lord Tywin replied. “My words were
courtesy, nothing more. You need not join us. The men of the winterlands are
made of iron and ice, and even my boldest knights fear to face them.”
“我没说你们‘需要’，”泰温公爵回答，“我那是客套话，没别的意思。你们不需要和我们并肩作战，来自冬境北国的人乃是玄冰铸成，碰上他们，连我手下最勇敢的骑士也会害怕。”
Oh, deftly done,
Tyrion thought, smiling crookedly.
喔，这招漂亮，提利昂心想，脸上露出狡猾的微笑。
“The Burned Men fear nothing. Timett son of Timett will ride with the
lions.”
“灼人部什么都不怕，提魅之子提魅将和狮子一起打仗。”
“Wherever the Burned Men go, the Stone Crows have been there first,”
Conn declared hotly. “We ride as well.”
“灼人部去过的地方，石鸦部都先去了。”康恩不甘示弱地表示，“我们也去。”
“Shagga son of Dolf will chop off their manhoods and feed them to the
crows.”
“多夫之子夏嘎会剁掉他们的命根子，拿去喂乌鸦。”
“We will ride with you, lion lord,” Chella daughter of Cheyk agreed,
“but only if your halfman son goes with us. He has bought his breath with
promises. Until we hold the steel he has pledged us, his life is ours.”
“狮子酋长，我们跟你一起去，”齐克之女齐拉同意。“但你的半人儿子也要跟我们在一起。他用种种承诺换得一条命，在我们拿到他答应的武器之前，他的命是我们的。”
Lord Tywin
turned his gold-flecked eyes on his son.
泰温转头，用那双金瞳眼睛看着儿子。
“Joy,” Tyrion said with a resigned smile.
“乐意之至。”提利昂听天由命地笑了笑。