JON
60 琼恩
Are you well,
Snow?” Lord Mormont asked, scowling.
“雪诺，你还好吧？”莫尔蒙司令皱眉问。
“Well,” his raven squawked. “Well.”
“好吧？”他的乌鸦呱呱叫，“好吧？”
“I am, my lord,” Jon lied?.?.?.?loudly, as if that could make it
true. “And you?”
“大人，我很好。”琼恩撒了谎……还特意大声，仿佛这样可让谎言成真。“您呢？”
Mormont frowned.
“A dead man tried to kill me. How well could I be?” He scratched under his
chin. His shaggy grey beard had been singed in the fire, and he’d hacked it
off. The pale stubble of his new whiskers made him look old, disreputable, and
grumpy. “You do not look well. How is your hand?”
莫尔蒙又是眉头一皱。“有个死人想杀我，你觉得我能好到哪里去？”他抓了抓下巴。由于长长的灰胡子被火烧到，他便把胡子给割了。新长出来的白色短须使他看起来不仅丑陋了些，老上许多，更显得脾气暴躁。“说实话，你的气色不太好，手怎么样了？”
“Healing.” Jon flexed his bandaged fingers to show him. He had burned
himself more badly than he knew throwing the flaming drapes, and his right hand
was swathed in silk halfway to the elbow. At the time he’d felt nothing; the
agony had come after. His cracked red skin oozed fluid, and fearsome blood
blisters rose between his fingers, big as roaches. “The maester says I’ll have
scars, but otherwise the hand should be as good as it was before.”
“正在复原。”琼恩动动自己绑了绷带的手指给他看。扔那堆窗帘所带来的灼伤比他预期中严重许多，现在他的右手臂缠满了丝绷带，一直绑到手肘。当时他一点感觉也没有，之后才开始疼痛。他裂开的红皮肤内流出液体，一个个吓人的充血水泡布满指间，大得像蟑螂似的。“学士说会留下疤痕，但除此之外应该没有大碍。”
“A scarred hand is nothing. On the Wall, you’ll be wearing gloves
often as not.”
“手上有疤没关系，在长城这儿，你大多时候都会戴手套。”
“As you say, my lord.” It was not the thought of scars that troubled
Jon; it was the rest of it. Maester Aemon had given him milk of the poppy, yet
even so, the pain had been hideous. At first it had felt as if his hand were
still aflame, burning day and night. Only plunging it into basins of snow and
shaved ice gave any relief at all. Jon thanked the gods that no one but Ghost saw
him writhing on his bed, whimpering from the pain. And when at last he did
sleep, he dreamt, and that was even worse. In the dream, the corpse he fought
had blue eyes, black hands, and his father’s face, but he dared not tell
Mormont that.
“大人，您说的是。”困扰琼恩的不是疤痕，而是其他的部分。伊蒙师傅给他喝了罂粟花奶，但即便如此，手依旧痛得要命。起初他感觉自己的手仍然着火，日夜烧个不停，惟有将之插进装满陈雪和碎冰的盆子里才能稍减疼痛。琼恩在床上疼痛难耐，翻滚哀嚎的模样，只有白灵知道，为此他暗自感谢天上诸神。可等他真的睡了，他又会作梦，这些梦比手伤还可怕。在梦中，和他厮杀的尸体不仅有蓝眼睛和黑手掌，更有父亲的脸，他可不敢把这个告诉莫尔蒙。
“Dywen and Hake returned last night,” the Old Bear said. “They found
no sign of your uncle, no more than the others did.”
“戴文和哈克昨晚回来了，”熊老说，“和其他人一样，他们没找到半点你叔叔的踪迹。”
“I know.” Jon had dragged himself to the common hall to sup with his
friends, and the failure of the rangers’ search had been all the men had been
talking of.
“我知道。”昨晚琼恩硬拖着身子去大厅和朋友们共进晚餐，当时大家谈论的都是游骑兵失败的搜查行动。
“You know,” Mormont grumbled. “How is it that everyone knows
everything around here?” He did not seem to expect an answer. “It would seem
there were only the two of?.?.?.?of those creatures, whatever they were, I will
not call them men. And thank the gods for that. Any more and?.?.?.?well, that
doesn’t bear thinking of. There will be more, though. I can feel it in these
old bones of mine, and Maester Aemon agrees. The cold winds are rising. Summer
is at an end, and a winter is coming such as this world has never seen.”
“你也知道，”莫尔蒙咕哝，“怎么大家什么都知道啊？”他也没期待答案。“看来，总共就那么两个……东西。不管他们是什么，我绝对不承认他们是人。感谢天上诸神。要是再多几个……唉．还是别去想的好。只是我这身老骨头有预感，以后迟早会再碰上，伊蒙师傅也这么说。冷风吹起，夏日将尽，前所未见的寒冬即将来临。”
Winter is
coming. The Stark words had never sounded so grim or ominous to Jon as they did
now. “My lord,” he asked hesitantly, “it’s said there was a bird last
night?.?.?.?”
凛冬将至。对琼恩而言，史塔克家的箴言从未如此阴森，如此充满不祥之气。“大人，”他迟疑地说，“听说昨晚又来了一只鸟儿……”
“There was. What of it?”
“是有这么回事。怎样？”
“I had hoped for some word of my father.”
“我想知道有没有我父亲的消息。”
“Father,” taunted the old raven, bobbing its head as it walked across
Mormont’s shoulders. “Father.”
“父亲！”老乌鸦在莫尔蒙肩上走来走去，头上下摆动，嘲弄地叫道，“父亲！”
The Lord
Commander reached up to pinch its beak shut, but the raven hopped up on his
head, fluttered its wings, and flew across the chamber to light above a window.
“Grief and noise,” Mormont grumbled. “That’s all they’re good for, ravens. Why
I put up with that pestilential bird?.?.?.?if there was news of Lord Eddard,
don’t you think I would have sent for you? Bastard or no, you’re still his
blood. The message concerned Ser Barristan Selmy. It seems he’s been removed
from the Kingsguard. They gave his place to that black dog Clegane, and now
Selmy’s wanted for treason. The fools sent some watchmen to seize him, but he
slew two of them and escaped.” Mormont snorted, leaving no doubt of his view of
men who’d send gold cloaks against a knight as renowed as Barristan the Bold.
“We have white shadows in the woods and unquiet dead stalking our halls, and a
boy sits the Iron Throne,” he said in disgust.
司令伸手想捏住它的长嘴，但乌鸦跳上他的头，拍拍翅膀，飞过房间，停在窗户上。“就只会吵闹捣蛋，”莫尔蒙咕哝着说，“乌鸦通通这副德行，真不知我养这只讨人厌的鸟做什么……如果有艾德大人的消息，你觉得我会不叫你来么？无论你是不是私生子，你毕竟是他的亲生骨肉。信上说的是巴利斯坦·赛尔弥爵士的事。他似乎被从御林铁卫里给革职了。他们把他原先的席位给了那条黑狗克里冈，现在赛尔弥正被通缉中，罪名是叛国。那些蠢才派了几个卫士去拿他，结果他宰了两个后逃走了。”莫尔蒙哼了一声，他对那些派都城守卫去对付像无畏的巴利斯坦如此武艺超凡的人的看法，溢于言表。“我们这儿森林里有白色鬼影，城里面有不安分的死人行走，结果坐在铁王座上的竟是个小毛头！”他语带嫌恶地说。
The raven
laughed shrilly. “Boy, boy, boy, boy.”
乌鸦尖声怪笑：“小毛头！小毛头！小毛头！小毛头！”
Ser Barristan
had been the Old Bear’s best hope, Jon remembered; if he had fallen, what
chance was there that Mormont’s letter would be heeded? He curled his hand into
a fist. Pain shot through his burned fingers. “What of my sisters?”
琼恩记得熊老对巴利斯坦爵士寄予厚望，如果连他都失势，那莫尔蒙的信还有什么机会上达国王呢？他不禁紧握手指，剧痛却立即从伤口炸裂开来。“那我妹妹呢？”
“The message made no mention of Lord Eddard or the girls.” He gave an
irritated shrug. “Perhaps they never got my letter. Aemon sent two copies, with
his best birds, but who can say? More like, Pycelle did not deign to reply. It
would not be the first time, nor the last. I fear we count for less than
nothing in King’s Landing. They tell us what they want us to know, and that’s
little enough.”
“信上既没提到艾德大人，也没说他女儿的事。”他有些恼火地耸耸肩。“说不定他们根本就没收到我的信。虽然伊蒙师傅送了两份抄本，也派他最好的鸟儿带去了，可这种事谁说得准呢？我看八成是派席尔懒得回信。这也不是第一次了，当然更不会是最后一次。恐怕对君临那些人而言，我们什么也不是。他们只肯告诉我们他们想让我们知道的事，而这些事少得可怜！”
And you tell me
what you want me to know, and that’s less, Jon thought resentfully. His brother
Robb had called the banners and ridden south to war, yet no word of that had
been breathed to him?.?.?.?save by Samwell Tarly, who’d read the letter to
Maester Aemon and whispered its contents to Jon that night in secret, all the
time saying how he shouldn’t. Doubtless they thought his brother’s war was none
of his concern. It troubled him more than he could say. Robb was marching and
he was not. No matter how often Jon told himself that his place was here now,
with his new brothers on the Wall, he still felt craven.
你也只告诉我你想让我知道的事，这些事还更少呢，琼恩忿忿不平地想。罗柏已经号召封臣，率军南进，却没有人告诉他……后来还是念信给伊蒙学士听的山姆威尔·塔利当天夜里偷偷跑来找他，一边轻声细语，一边忏悔自己不该这么做。可想而知，他们一定是认为他兄弟的战争与他无关。然而这却比其他所有事更教他烦心。罗柏正驰骋沙场，他却坐困愁城。无论琼恩如何宽慰自己：如今他的职责所在是与新弟兄们共同防守长城，他依旧觉得自己像个懦夫。
“Corn,” the raven was crying. “Corn, corn.”
“玉米！”乌鸦又叫起来，“玉米！玉米！”
“Oh, be quiet,” the Old Bear told it. “Snow, how soon does Maester
Aemon say you’ll have use of that hand back?”
“噢，给我闭嘴。”熊老告诉它。“雪诺，伊蒙师傅估计你的手多久可以复原？”
“Soon,” Jon replied.
“快了。”琼恩回答。
“Good.” On the table between them, Lord Mormont laid a large sword in
a black metal scabbard banded with silver. “Here. You’ll be ready for this,
then.”
“那敢情好，”莫尔蒙司令拿出一把剑，放在两人之间的桌上，那剑有着黑色金属镶银边的鞘。“喏，到时候你就用这个。”
The raven
flapped down and landed on the table, strutting toward the sword, head cocked
curiously. Jon hesitated. He had no inkling what this meant. “My lord?”
乌鸦振翅而下，停在桌上，昂首阔步地朝剑走去，一边好奇地歪着头。琼恩犹豫了一下。这究竟是什么意思，他一点头绪都没有。“大人，这是？”
“The fire melted the silver off the pommel and burnt the crossguard
and grip. Well, dry leather and old wood, what could you expect? The blade,
now?.?.?.?you’d need a fire a hundred times as hot to harm the blade.” Mormont
shoved the scabbard across the rough oak planks. “I had the rest made anew.
Take it.”
“之前那场火把剑柄圆头的银给熔掉了，护手和剑柄也被烧毁，唉，干皮革和木头，不烧才有鬼。至于剑本身嘛……你得用热一百倍的火才能伤到剑身。”莫尔蒙把手一挥，连剑带鞘推过粗糙的橡木桌面。“我把其余的部分重新打过了。拿去吧。”
“Take it,” echoed his raven, preening. “Take it, take it.”
“拿去吧！”乌鸦得意洋洋地附和，“拿去吧！拿去吧！”
Awkwardly, Jon
took the sword in hand. His left hand; his bandaged right was still too raw and
clumsy. Carefully he pulled it from its scabbard and raised it level with his
eyes.
琼恩僵硬地伸手拿剑。他用的是左手，因为右手不但绑了绷带，而且伤口未愈，不甚灵活。他小心翼翼地将剑从鞘里抽出，举到眼前。
The pommel was a
hunk of pale stone weighted with lead to balance the long blade. It had been
carved into the likeness of a snarling wolf’s head, with chips of garnet set
into the eyes. The grip was virgin leather, soft and black, as yet unstained by
sweat or blood. The blade itself was a good half foot longer than those Jon was
used to, tapered to thrust as well as slash, with three fullers deeply incised
in the metal. Where Ice was a true two-handed greatsword, this was a
hand-and-a-halfer, sometimes named a “bastard sword.” Yet the wolf sword
actually seemed lighter than the blades he had wielded before. When Jon turned
it sideways, he could see the ripples in the dark steel where the metal had
been folded back on itself again and again. “This is Valyrian steel, my lord,”
he said wonderingly. His father had let him handle Ice often enough; he knew
the look, the feel.
剑柄尾端的圆球是一块淡白色的石头，还加了铅以平衡剑身的重量，圆球雕刻成一只咆哮狼头的模样，眼睛是两小片红榴石。剑柄裹着又黑又软的新皮，未经汗渍和血水沾染。剑身则足足比琼恩惯用的剑长了半尺，前端极尖，既能刺击，亦可挥砍，上面开了三道深深的血槽。“寒冰”是名副其实的双手剑，这把则是一手半，有时也称为“长柄剑”。这柄狼剑似乎比他以前用过的剑都轻。琼恩轻转剑身，看到色泽沉暗的精钢剑身历经千锤百炼所留下的波纹。“大人，这是用瓦雷利亚钢锻铸的剑啊。”他讶异地说。父亲以前时常让他把握“寒冰”，所以他知道这外观和手感。
“It is,” the Old Bear told him. “It was my father’s sword, and his
father’s before him. The Mormonts have carried it for five centuries. I wielded
it in my day and passed it on to my son when I took the black.”
“没错。”熊老告诉他，“这是我父亲的剑，是我祖父传给他的。这把剑在莫尔蒙家族父子相传了五百年，我年轻时也用这把剑，后来我穿上黑衣，便将它传给儿子。”
He is giving me
his son’s sword. Jon could scarcely believe it. The blade was exquisitely
balanced. The edges glimmered faintly as they kissed the light. “Your son...”
他将传给儿子的剑给了我，琼恩简直不敢相信。剑刃极度平衡，锋芒一遇光线，立即熠熠发光。“您的儿子——”
“My son brought dishonor to House Mormont, but at least he had the
grace to leave the sword behind when he fled. My sister returned it to my
keeping, but the very sight of it reminded me of Jorah’s shame, so I put it
aside and thought no more of it until we found it in the ashes of my bedchamber.
The original pommel was a bear’s head, silver, yet so worn its features were
all but indistinguishable. For you, I thought a white wolf more apt. One of our
builders is a fair stonecarver.”
“我儿让莫尔蒙家族蒙上耻辱，但他逃亡之前，倒还懂得留下这把剑。我妹妹把剑送还给我，然而每当见到它，就让我想起乔拉的事，所以我把剑收起来，日子一久也就忘了，直到这回在我卧室的灰烬里找到它。原本剑柄尾端是个银制熊头，不过因为经年累月的磨损，早已辨认不出。你用的话，我想白狼比较适合。正好我们工匠里面有个不错的雕刻师傅。”
When Jon had
been Bran’s age, he had dreamed of doing great deeds, as boys always did. The
details of his feats changed with every dreaming, but quite often he imagined
saving his father’s life. Afterward Lord Eddard would declare that Jon had
proved himself a true Stark, and place Ice in his hand. Even then he had known
it was only a child’s folly; no bastard could ever hope to wield a father’s
sword. Even the memory shamed him. What kind of man stole his own brother’s
birthright? I have no right to this, he thought, no more than to Ice. He
twitched his burned fingers, feeling a throb of pain deep under the skin. “My
lord, you honor me, but...”
当琼恩还在布兰那个年纪的时候，也像所有的男孩子一样，梦想着将来干出一番大事业。虽然每次白日梦的细节都不同，但他总想像自己救了父亲一命，事后艾德公爵宣布琼恩已经证明了自己是真正的史塔克传人，并将“寒冰”交到他手中。即便在当时，他也知道这不过是小孩子的玩笑，私生子是绝不可能继承家传宝剑的。如今想起这些，他却觉得羞耻。夺走自己兄弟的继承权，这算什么？我没资格接受这把剑，他心想，一如我没资格继承“寒冰”。他动动灼伤的手指，感觉到皮肤底下深层的痛楚。“大人，您让我受宠若惊，可是——”
“Spare me your but’s, boy,” Lord Mormont interrupted. “I would not be
sitting here were it not for you and that beast of yours. You fought
bravely?.?.?.?and more to the point, you thought quickly. Fire! Yes, damn it.
We ought to have known. We ought to have remembered. The Long Night has come
before. Oh, eight thousand years is a good while, to be sure?.?.?.?yet if the
Night’s Watch does not remember, who will?”
“小子，少跟我‘可是’。”莫尔蒙司令打断他。“若不是你和你那头狼，我现在就不会坐在这里了。你不仅勇敢……更重要的是，你的脑筋动得快。没错，天杀的，就是用火！我们早该知道，早该想起来。古时也曾有过长夜之劫，唉，八千年虽然久了点……可若是连守夜人都不记得，还有谁会记得呢？”
“Who will,” chimed the talkative raven. “Who will.”
“谁会！”聒噪的乌鸦跟着叫，“谁会！”
Truly, the gods
had heard Jon’s prayer that night; the fire had caught in the dead man’s
clothing and consumed him as if his flesh were candle wax and his bones old dry
wood. Jon had only to close his eyes to see the thing staggering across the
solar, crashing against the furniture and flailing at the flames. It was the
face that haunted him most; surrounded by a nimbus of fire, hair blazing like
straw, the dead flesh melting away and sloughing off its skull to reveal the
gleam of bone beneath.
那天晚上，诸神确是听见了琼恩的祈祷；尸鬼的衣服一着火，瞬间便被烈焰吞噬，仿佛它的皮肤是蜡油，骨头是干柴。琼恩只需闭上眼睛，依然可以见到那具尸体踉跄着走过书房，四处碰撞家具，挥舞双臂拍打火焰的景象。萦绕心头久久不去的是那张脸：四周为火围绕，头发燃如稻草，坏死的肌肉一块块熔解滑落，露出下面的颅骨。
Whatever demonic
force moved Othor had been driven out by the flames; the twisted thing they had
found in the ashes had been no more than cooked meat and charred bone. Yet in
his nightmare he faced it again?.?.?.?and this time the burning corpse wore
Lord Eddard’s features. It was his father’s skin that burst and blackened, his
father’s eyes that ran liquid down his cheeks like jellied tears. Jon did not
understand why that should be or what it might mean, but it frightened him more
than he could say.
不管驱使奥瑟的是何种恶魔力量，都已被烈火赶走；他们在余烬堆里找到的那团扭曲东西，只不过是烤熟的人肉和烧焦的骨头罢了。然而在他的噩梦里，它又再度到来……这次冒火的尸体头上生着艾德公爵的容貌。焦黑爆突的是父亲的皮肤，如结冻眼泪般流下脸颊的是父亲的眼睛。琼恩不明白为何会做这种梦，也不了解这代表的意义，他只是吓坏了。
“A sword’s small payment for a life,” Mormont concluded. “Take it,
I’ll hear no more of it, is that understood?”
“一剑换一命，够便宜了。”莫尔蒙总结。“快拿去，别再跟我啰唆，听懂了没？”
“Yes, my lord.” The soft leather gave beneath Jon’s fingers, as if
the sword were molding itself to his grip already. He knew he should be
honored, and he was, and yet?.?.?.?
“是，大人。”琼恩的手指抚摩着柔软的皮革，这把剑似乎迫不及待地渴望他的掌握。他明白，这是莫大的荣耀，他也的确非常感激，可是……
He is not my father.
The thought leapt unbidden to Jon’s mind. Lord Eddard Stark is my father. I
will not forget him, no matter how many swords they give me. Yet he could
scarcely tell Lord Mormont that it was another man’s sword he dreamt of?.?.?.?
他不是我父亲，这个念头毫无预警地跃上琼恩心头。艾德·史塔克公爵才是我父亲。我永远不会忘记他，无论别人给我多少把剑，我都不会变。但他怎么能对莫尔蒙司令说他梦想的是另一个人的剑呢……
“I want no courtesies either,” Mormont said, “so thank me no thanks.
Honor the steel with deeds, not words.”
“我也不想听什么客套话，”莫尔蒙道，“所以把道谢都省了罢。用实际行动证明你珍惜它，比说多少废话都管用。”
Jon nodded.
“Does it have a name, my lord?”
琼恩点点头。“大人，这把剑可有名讳？”
“It did, once. Longclaw, it was called.”
“以前是有的。名叫‘长爪’。”
“Claw,” the raven cried. “Claw.”
“长爪！”乌鸦大叫，“长爪！”
“Longclaw is an apt name.” Jon tried a practice cut. He was clumsy
and uncomfortable with his left hand, yet even so the steel seemed to flow
through the air, as if it had a will of its own. “Wolves have claws, as much as
bears.”
“长爪，好名字，”琼恩试着挥砍了一下。虽然左手持剑，难看又笨拙，但宝剑仿佛凭着自己的意志划破空气。“狼和熊都有爪子。”
The Old Bear
seemed pleased by that. “I suppose they do. You’ll want to wear that over the
shoulder, I imagine. It’s too long for the hip, at least until you’ve put on a
few inches. And you’ll need to work at your two-handed strikes as well. Ser
Endrew can show you some moves, when your burns have healed.”
熊老听了似乎很高兴。“我也这么想。我看你得把剑背在背后。这剑太长，没法佩在腰际，至少在你再长高个几寸之前是这样。还有，你好好练习一下双手攻击。等你的手伤痊愈，可以找安德鲁爵士教你几招。”
“Ser Endrew?” Jon did not know the name.
“安德鲁爵士？”琼恩不记得这个名字。
“Ser Endrew Tarth, a good man. He’s on his way from the Shadow Tower
to assume the duties of master-at-arms. Ser Alliser Thorne left yestermorn for
Eastwatch-by-the-Sea.”
“安德鲁·塔斯爵士。他正从影子塔赶来，他是我们新任的教头。艾里沙·索恩爵士昨天早上到东海望去了。”
Jon lowered the
sword. “Why?” he said, stupidly.
琼恩放下剑。“为什么？”他傻傻地问。
Mormont snorted.
“Because I sent him, why do you think? He’s bringing the hand your Ghost tore
off the end of Jafer Flowers’s wrist. I have commanded him to take ship to
King’s Landing and lay it before this boy king. That should get young Joffrey’s
attention, I’d think?.?.?.?and Ser Alliser’s a knight, highborn, anointed, with
old friends at court, altogether harder to ignore than a glorified crow.”
莫尔蒙哼了一声。“你以为呢？当然是我派他去的。他身上带着杰佛·佛花被你那白灵咬断的手。我命令他搭船去君临，将手呈报给那小鬼头国王看看，这总该吸引乔佛里的注意吧……何况艾里沙爵士出身既好，又是正式册封的骑士，朝廷里也有旧识，应该不至于像其他穿黑衣的‘乌鸦’弟兄般受到冷落。”
“Crow.” Jon thought the raven sounded faintly indignant.
“乌鸦！”琼恩觉得乌鸦的口气有些愤慨。
“As well,” the Lord Commander continued, ignoring the bird’s protest,
“it puts a thousand leagues twixt him and you without it seeming a rebuke.” He
jabbed a finger up at Jon’s face. “And don’t think this means I approve of that
nonsense in the common hall. Valor makes up for a fair amount of folly, but
you’re not a boy anymore, however many years you’ve seen. That’s a man’s sword
you have there, and it will take a man to wield her. I’ll expect you to act the
part, henceforth.”
“总之呢，”总司令不理会乌鸦的抗议，续道，“如此一来你和他就自然隔开了几千里，也不显得我偏袒。”他伸出一根指头指着琼恩的脸。“但是，别以为这代表我赞同你在大厅里胡来。勇气虽然可以弥补相当程度的愚蠢，但无论你几岁，都不是小孩子了。这是把成年人的剑，也只有成年人才配用它。我希望你好自为之。”
“Yes, my lord.” Jon slid the sword back into the silver-banded
scabbard. If not the blade he would have chosen, it was nonetheless a noble
gift, and freeing him from Alliser Thorne’s malignance was nobler still.
“是，大人。”琼恩把剑收回镶银边的剑鞘。虽说这并非他梦想的剑，但依然是件贵重的礼物，而将他自艾里沙·索恩的恶意侮辱之中释放出来，更是高贵之举。
The Old Bear
scratched at his chin. “I had forgotten how much a new beard itches,” he said.
“Well, no help for that. Is that hand of yours healed enough to resume your
duties?”
熊老搔搔下巴。“我都忘记刚长出来的胡子有多痒了。”他说，“唉，也罢。你的手能工作么？”
“Yes, my lord.”
“可以，大人。”
“Good. The night will be cold, I’ll want hot spice wine. Find me a
flagon of red, not too sour, and don’t skimp on the spices. And tell Hobb that
if he sends me boiled mutton again I’m like to boil him. That last haunch was
grey. Even the bird wouldn’t touch it.” He stroked the raven’s head with his
thumb, and the bird made a contented quorking sound. “Away with you. I’ve work
to do.”
“那敢情好。今晚会很冷，我要喝点加料的热葡萄酒。帮我找瓶红的，不要太酸，香料也别省。还有，你去跟哈布说，他要是敢再给我送煮羊肉来，我就把他给煮了。上次的后腿肉整个是灰的，连鸟都不吃。”他用拇指搓搓乌鸦的头，鸟儿发出一声满足的咕噜。“你去吧，我还有事要忙。”
The guards
smiled at him from their niches as he wound his way down the turret stair,
carrying the sword in his good hand. “Sweet steel,” one man said. “You earned
that, Snow,” another told him. Jon made himself smile back at them, but his
heart was not in it. He knew he should be pleased, yet he did not feel it. His
hand ached, and the taste of anger was in his mouth, though he could not have
said who he was angry with or why.
他佩着宝剑走下高塔楼梯，站在壁龛里的守卫微笑着看他。“真是把好剑。”其中一人说。“雪诺，干得漂亮，”另一个人告诉他。琼恩逼自己也对他们微笑，然而他心底却没有笑意。他知道自己应该高兴，却怎么也高兴不起来。他的手隐隐作痛，口中有愤怒的味道，可他说不出自己究竟是对谁生气，或是为何生气。
A half dozen of
his friends were lurking outside when he left the King’s Tower, where Lord
Commander Mormont now made his residence. They’d hung a target on the granary
doors, so they could seem to be honing their skills as archers, but he knew
lurkers when he saw them. No sooner did he emerge than Pyp called out, “Well,
come about, let’s have a look.”
如今莫尔蒙总司令改住国王塔，琼恩出塔时，发现五六个朋友正鬼鬼祟祟地等在外面。他们在谷仓门上挂了个箭靶，装作练习箭法，但他一眼就知道他们别有企图。他前脚刚落地，派普便叫道：“嘿，快过来让咱们瞧瞧吧！”
“At what?” Jon said.
“瞧什么？”琼恩说。
Toad sidled
close. “Your rosy butt cheeks, what else?”
陶德溜过来。“当然是你的红屁股啰，还有什么？”
“The sword,” Grenn stated. “We want to see the sword.”
“那把剑啦，”葛兰说，“我们想瞧瞧那把剑。”
Jon raked them
with an accusing look. “You knew.”
琼恩用充满责难的眼光扫视他们。“原来你们都知道。”
Pyp grinned.
“We’re not all as dumb as Grenn.”
派普嘻嘻笑道：“我们可不像葛兰那么笨。”
“You are so,” insisted Grenn. “You’re dumber.”
“你明明就笨，”葛兰坚持，“你比我还笨。”
Halder gave an
apologetic shrug. “I helped Pate carve the stone for the pommel,” the builder said,
“and your friend Sam bought the garnets in Mole’s Town.”
霍德有些歉疚地耸耸肩。“剑尾的圆球是我和派特一起雕的，”这位工匠说，“红榴石则是你朋友山姆从鼹鼠村带回来的。”
“We knew even before that, though,” Grenn said. “Rudge has been
helping Donal Noye in the forge. He was there when the Old Bear brought him the
burnt blade.”
“我们知道得比那更早哩，”葛兰说。“路奇在唐纳·诺伊的锻炉那边帮忙，熊老拿烧坏的剑去的时候他刚好在场。”
“The sword!” Matt insisted. The others took up the chant. “The sword,
the sword, the sword.”
“快把剑拿出来！”梅沙坚持。其他人也跟着起哄。“拿剑来！拿剑来！拿剑来！”
Jon unsheathed
Longclaw and showed it to them, turning it this way and that so they could
admire it. The bastard blade glittered in the pale sunlight, dark and deadly.
“Valyrian steel,” he declared solemnly, trying to sound as pleased and proud as
he ought to have felt.
于是琼恩抽出长爪，左右旋转，让他们好好欣赏。长柄剑身在苍白的日光下闪着阴暗而致命的光泽。“这是瓦雷利亚钢呢。”他严肃地表示，努力装出应有的快乐和骄傲。
“I heard of a man who had a razor made of Valyrian steel,” declared
Toad. “He cut his head off trying to shave.”
“我听说啊，从前有个人有把瓦雷利亚钢打的剃刀，”陶德说，“结果他刮胡子的时候把头给剃掉了。”
Pyp grinned.
“The Night’s Watch is thousands of years old,” he said, “but I’ll wager Lord
Snow’s the first brother ever honored for burning down the Lord Commander’s
Tower.”
派普嘿嘿一笑。“守夜人虽有几千年历史，”他说，“但我敢打赌，咱们雪诺大人肯定是头一个把司令塔给烧掉的人。”
The others
laughed, and even Jon had to smile. The fire he’d started had not, in truth,
burned down that formidable stone tower, but it had done a fair job of gutting
the interior of the top two floors, where the Old Bear had his chambers. No one
seemed to mind that very much, since it had also destroyed Othor’s murderous
corpse.
众人哈哈大笑，连琼恩也忍俊不禁。其实他引起的那场火，并未当真烧毁那座坚实的石砌高塔，只是把塔顶两层楼的所有房间，也就是熊老的居所，给烧得一干二净。大家对于损失倒是不以为意，因为这场大火同时也烧毁了奥瑟的杀人死尸。
The other wight,
the one-handed thing that had once been a ranger named Jafer Flowers, had also
been destroyed, cut near to pieces by a dozen swords?.?.?.?but not before it
had slain Ser Jaremy Rykker and four other men. Ser Jaremy had finished the job
of hacking its head off, yet had died all the same when the headless corpse pulled
his own dagger from its sheath and buried it in his bowels. Strength and
courage did not avail much against foemen who would not fall because they were
already dead; even arms and armor offered small protection.
至于那个生前叫做杰佛·佛花，原本是游骑兵，后来只剩一只手的尸鬼，也被十几个弟兄剁成碎片……然而它却先杀死了杰瑞米·莱克爵士及其他四人。杰瑞米爵士本已砍下它的头，可依旧没能阻止无头尸鬼拔出他的匕首，深深插入他的肚腹。遇上早已死亡，怎么也不会倒下的敌人，无论力量还是勇气都没有太大用处；武器和护甲，所能提供的保护也殊为有限。
That grim
thought soured Jon’s fragile mood. “I need to see Hobb about the Old Bear’s
supper,” he announced brusquely, sliding Longclaw back into its scabbard. His
friends meant well, but they did not understand. It was not their fault, truly;
they had not had to face Othor, they had not seen the pale glow of those dead
blue eyes, had not felt the cold of those dead black fingers. Nor did they know
of the fighting in the riverlands. How could they hope to comprehend? He turned
away from them abruptly and strode off, sullen. Pyp called after him, but Jon
paid him no mind.
这个悲惨的念头，使得琼恩原本脆弱的心绪更加恶劣。“我要去找哈布，请他安排熊老的晚餐。”他唐突地对大家宣布，然后将长爪插进剑鞘。他知道朋友们是一番好意，可惜他们不懂。这实在不能说是他们的错：他们用不着面对奥瑟，没有亲眼目睹那双死人蓝眼的惨白光芒，没能感受到死人黑手指的冰冷，自然更不关心三河流域的激烈战事。既然如此，又怎能期望他们了解呢？他唐突地转身，闷闷不乐地大步离去。派普在身后叫他，但琼恩没有理会。
They had moved
him back to his old cell in tumbledown Hardin’s Tower after the fire, and it
was there he returned. Ghost was curled up asleep beside the door, but he
lifted his head at the sound of Jon’s boots. The direwolf’s red eyes were
darker than garnets and wiser than men. Jon knelt, scratched his ear, and
showed him the pommel of the sword. “Look. It’s you.”
火灾之后，他们让他搬回倾颓的哈丁塔，住在他以前那间旧石室里。当他回到房间，白灵正蜷缩在门边睡觉，但它一听见琼恩的靴子声，便抬起头来。冰原狼的红眼睛比红榴石还要沉暗，比人眼更睿智。琼恩蹲下来，搔搔它的耳朵，给它看剑尾的圆球。“看，是你呢。”
Ghost sniffed at
his carved stone likeness and tried a lick. Jon smiled. “You’re the one
deserves an honor,” he told the wolf?.?.?.?and suddenly he found himself
remembering how he’d found him, that day in the late summer snow. They had been
riding off with the other pups, but Jon had heard a noise and turned back, and
there he was, white fur almost invisible against the drifts. He was all alone, he
thought, apart from the others in the litter. He was different, so they drove
him out.
白灵闻闻石雕，伸出舌头舔了一下。琼恩微笑着告诉小狼：“荣耀归你所有。”突然间，他回想起自己在晚夏的雪地里找到它的经过。当时他们带着其他小狼正要回去，可琼恩听见了别的声音，回头看去，只见雪地里的它一身白毛，几乎无从分辨。“它就孤身一个，”他心想，“离兄弟姐妹远远的。它与众不同，所以被它们赶走。”
“Jon?” He looked up. Samwell Tarly stood rocking nervously on his
heels. His cheeks were red, and he was wrapped in a heavy fur cloak that made
him look ready for hibernation.
“琼恩？”他抬起头。两颊通红的山姆威尔·塔利站在面前，局促不安地发抖，全身紧紧裹在厚重的毛皮斗篷里，仿佛即将进入冬眠。
“Sam.” Jon stood. “What is it? Do you want to see the sword?” If the
others had known, no doubt Sam did too.
“山姆，”琼恩起身。“怎么了？你也想看看那把剑么？”既然大家都知道，山姆自然不例外。
The fat boy
shook his head. “I was heir to my father’s blade once,” he said mournfully.
“Heartsbane. Lord Randyll let me hold it a few times, but it always scared me.
It was Valyrian steel, beautiful but so sharp I was afraid I’d hurt one of my
sisters. Dickon will have it now.” He wiped sweaty hands on his cloak. “I
ah?.?.?.?Maester Aemon wants to see you.”
胖男孩摇摇头。“我曾经是我父亲的宝剑传人，”他悲戚地说，“那把剑叫‘碎心’。蓝道大人让我拿过几回，可我每次都很害怕。剑是用瓦雷利亚钢铸成，美丽异常，也锋利异常，我怕会伤到妹妹们。现在狄肯是它的传人了。”他在斗篷上擦擦手汗。“我……嗯……伊蒙师傅要见你。”
It was not time
for his bandages to be changed. Jon frowned suspiciously. “Why?” he demanded.
Sam looked miserable. That was answer enough. “You told him, didn’t you?” Jon
said angrily. “You told him that you told me.”
还不到换绷带的时间。琼恩狐疑地皱眉质问：“他找我做什么？”看着山姆可怜兮兮的模样，答案已经不问自明。“你跟他说了，是不是？”琼恩怒道，“你跟他说你告诉我了。”
“I?.?.?.?he?.?.?.?Jon, I didn’t want to?.?.?.?he asked?.?.?.?I mean I
think he knew, he sees things no one else sees ?.?.?.?”
“我……他……琼恩，我不是故意的……是他问的……我的意思是说……我觉得他根本就知道，他看得见别人看不到的东西。”
“He’s blind,” Jon pointed out forcefully, disgusted. “I can find the
way myself.” He left Sam standing there, openmouthed and quivering.
“他的眼睛早就瞎了。”琼恩口气嫌恶地大嚷，“我自己认得路。”说完，他径自走开，留下目瞪口呆的山姆站在原地发抖。
He found Maester
Aemon up in the rookery, feeding the ravens. Clydas was with him, carrying a
bucket of chopped meat as they shuffled from cage to cage. “Sam said you wanted
me?”
伊蒙学士正在鸦巢里喂渡鸦，克莱达斯提着一桶肉片，跟着他在笼子间行进。“山姆说您有事找我？”
The maester
nodded. “I did indeed. Clydas, give Jon the bucket. Perhaps he will be kind
enough to assist me.” The hunched, pink-eyed brother handed Jon the bucket and
scurried down the ladder. “Toss the meat into the cages,” Aemon instructed him.
“The birds will do the rest. “
学士点点头。“是我的意思。克莱达斯，请把桶子交给琼恩，或许他愿意好心地帮我个忙。”驼背红眼的弟兄将桶子递给琼恩，随后赶忙爬下梯子。“只管把肉丢进笼子，”伊蒙指点他。“鸟儿自己明白。”
Jon shifted the
bucket to his right hand and thrust his left down into the bloody bits. The
ravens began to scream noisily and fly at the bars, beating at the metal with
night-black wings. The meat had been chopped into pieces no larger than a
finger joint. He filled his fist and tossed the raw red morsels into the cage,
and the squawking and squabbling grew hotter. Feathers flew as two of the
larger birds fought over a choice piece. Quickly Jon grabbed a second handful
and threw it in after the first. “Lord Mormont’s raven likes fruit and corn.”
琼恩将桶子换到右手，左手伸进血红的肉块。鸦群见状，纷纷发出嘈杂的尖叫，在铁栏里飞来飞去，拍动漆黑如夜的翅膀击打着金属鸟笼。肉被切成比指节大不了多少的小碎块，他抓起满满一把血红肉片丢进笼中，尖叫和振翅声立刻愈演愈烈。两只体型较大的渡鸦为了争夺一块上好的肉，彼此厮打起来，一时之间羽毛纷飞。琼恩赶忙又抓一把，丢给其中一只。“莫尔蒙大人的乌鸦喜欢吃水果和玉米。”
“He is a rare bird,” the maester said. “Most ravens will eat grain,
but they prefer flesh. It makes them strong, and I fear they relish the taste
of blood. In that they are like men?.?.?.?and like men, not all ravens are
alike.”
“那是只很罕见的鸟，”学士道：“大部分的乌鸦虽然也吃谷子，但还是偏好肉类。这不光能让它们强壮，恐怕它们生性就嗜血。在这点上，它们和人类倒是挺像……所以，和人一样，乌鸦的个性也不全然相同。”
Jon had nothing
to say to that. He threw meat, wondering why he’d been summoned. No doubt the
old man would tell him, in his own good time. Maester Aemon was not a man to be
hurried.
琼恩接不上话，只好继续丢肉，不禁纳闷自己为何会被找来。也罢，等老人家觉得时机适当，自然会告诉他。伊蒙学士这个人可是催不得的。
“Doves and pigeons can also be trained to carry messages,” the
maester went on, “though the raven is a stronger flyer, larger, bolder, far
more clever, better able to defend itself against hawks?.?.?.?yet ravens are
black, and they eat the dead, so some godly men abhor them. Baelor the Blessed
tried to replace all the ravens with doves, did you know?” The maester turned
his white eyes on Jon, smiling. “The Night’s Watch prefers ravens.”
“鸽子虽然也可以训练来递送讯息，”学士续道，“但我们用来送信的渡鸦不仅强健，体型大，胆子壮，聪明得多，遇上老鹰也更有能力自卫……然而渡鸦色黑，又以尸体为食，因此有些信仰虔诚的人憎恨它们。你可知道，‘受神祝福的’贝勒曾试图用鸽子全面取代渡鸦？当然，他没有成功。”老师傅面露微笑，将那双白色盲眼转向琼恩。“只有守夜人比较喜欢渡鸦。”
Jon’s fingers
were in the bucket, blood up to the wrist. “Dywen says the wildlings call us
crows,” he said uncertainty.
琼恩的手指浸在桶子里，血淹及腕。“我听戴文说，野人也把我们叫做乌鸦。”
“The crow is the raven’s poor cousin. They are both beggars in black,
hated and misunderstood.”
“乌鸦是渡鸦的可怜远亲。它们是一身黑羽的乞食者，向来受到误解，遭人怨恨。”
Jon wished he
understood what they were talking about, and why. What did he care about ravens
and doves? If the old man had something to say to him, why couldn’t he just say
it?
琼恩真希望自己能清楚他到底在讲些什么，以及其中缘由。渡鸦和鸽子与他何干？如果老人家有话要说，为何不肯直截了当？
“Jon, did you ever wonder why the men of the Night’s Watch take no
wives and father no children?” Maester Aemon asked.
“琼恩，你可曾想过，为何守夜人不娶妻也不生子？”伊蒙学士问。
Jon shrugged.
“No.” He scattered more meat. The fingers of his left hand were slimy with
blood, and his right throbbed from the weight of the bucket.
琼恩耸耸肩。“我没想过。”他又丢了些碎肉。此时他的左手已经沾满黏滑血渍，右手则因木桶的重量而隐隐作痛。
“So they will not love,” the old man answered, “for love is the bane
of honor, the death of duty.”
“只因如此一来，他们才不会为情爱所困扰，”老师傅自问自答，“情爱是荣誉的大敌，更是责任的大忌。”
That did not
sound right to Jon, yet he said nothing. The maester was a hundred years old,
and a high officer of the Night’s Watch; it was not his place to contradict
him.
琼恩觉得不太对劲，但他没说什么。老学士年逾百岁，在守夜人军团里德高望重，他没资格去反驳他。
The old man
seemed to sense his doubts. “Tell me, Jon, if the day should ever come when
your lord father must needs choose between honor on the one hand and those he
loves on the other, what would he do?”
老人家似乎察觉了他的不以为然。“琼恩，你告诉我，假如有这么一天，你的父亲大人必须在荣誉和他所爱的人之间做出抉择，你想他会怎么做？”
Jon hesitated.
He wanted to say that Lord Eddard would never dishonor himself, not even for
love, yet inside a small sly voice whispered, He fathered a bastard, where was
the honor in that? And your mother, what of his duty to her, he will not even
say her name. “He would do whatever was right,” he said?.?.?.?ringingly, to
make up for his hesitation. “No matter what.”
琼恩迟疑了。他想说艾德公爵绝对不会做出有损名誉的事，即使为了情爱也不例外。然而他心中却有个狡诈的声音在悄悄低语：他有个私生子，这有何荣誉可言？还有你母亲啊，他负起过对她的责任吗？他连她的名字都不肯讲！“他会做他该做的事，”他刻意拖长音调，借此掩饰自己的犹豫不决。“不管那是什么。”
“Then Lord Eddard is a man in ten thousand. Most of us are not so
strong. What is honor compared to a woman’s love? What is duty against the feel
of a newborn son in your arms?.?.?.?or the memory of a brother’s smile? Wind
and words. Wind and words. We are only human, and the gods have fashioned us
for love. That is our great glory, and our great tragedy.
“那么，艾德大人是万里挑一的人才。多数人不若他这么坚强。跟女人的情爱相比，荣誉算得了什么？当你怀抱初生幼儿……或是想起兄弟的笑容，责任又算得了什么？不过都是虚幻，都是空谈罢了。我们身为凡人，天上诸神使我们有能力去爱，那是对我们最美好的恩赐，却也是我们最深沉的悲哀。”
“The men who formed the Night’s Watch knew that only their courage
shielded the realm from the darkness to the north. They knew they must have no
divided loyalties to weaken their resolve. So they vowed they would have no
wives nor children.
“守夜人军团的创建者深知他们的勇气是守护王国，抵抗北方黑暗势力的惟一屏障。他们深知自己不能分神他顾，否则决心必将动摇，所以他们誓不娶妻，誓不生子。”
“Yet brothers they had, and sisters. Mothers who gave them birth,
fathers who gave them names. They came from a hundred quarrelsome kingdoms, and
they knew times may change, but men do not. So they pledged as well that the
Night’s Watch would take no part in the battles of the realms it guarded.
“然而人皆有父母，皆有兄弟姐妹。他们来自纷争不断的大小王国，也深知时局虽改，人性终究不变。于是他们立下誓言：守夜人守护王国，但绝不参与其中任何战役。”
“They kept their pledge. When Aegon slew Black Harren and claimed his
kingdom, Harren’s brother was Lord Commander on the Wall, with ten thousand
swords to hand. He did not march. In the days when the Seven Kingdoms were
seven kingdoms, not a generation passed that three or four of them were not at
war. The Watch took no part. When the Andals crossed the narrow sea and swept
away the kingdoms of the First Men, the sons of the fallen kings held true to
their vows and remained at their posts. So it has always been, for years beyond
counting. Such is the price of honor.
“他们恪守誓言。当伊耿杀死黑心赫伦，夺其王国的时候，赫伦的兄弟正是长城守军总司令，手下有一万精兵，但他没有出兵。当七大王国依旧是七国分立的年代，任何一个时代，至少都有三四个国家彼此交战，但守夜人没有参战。当安达尔人渡海而来，横扫先民诸国，这些死去国王的子孙们依旧奉誓不渝，坚守岗位。千百年来，始终如一，这便是荣誉的代价。”
“A craven can be as brave as any man, when there is nothing to fear.
And we all do our duty, when there is no cost to it. How easy it seems then, to
walk the path of honor. Yet soon or late in every man’s life comes a day when
it is not easy, a day when he must choose.”
“当一个人无所畏惧时，即便懦夫也能展现不输于人的勇气。当我们毋需付出代价时，自然都能尽忠职守。行走在这条荣耀的大道上，似乎是那么地容易。然而每个人的生命中迟早会遇到考验，那便是他必须抉择的时刻。”
Some of the
ravens were still eating, long stringy bits of meat dangling from their beaks.
The rest seemed to be watching him. Jon could feel the weight of all those tiny
black eyes. “And this is my day?.?.?.?is that what you’re saying?”
有些渡鸦还在吃，细细的肉丝悬挂在长喙边，不住摇晃。大多数乌鸦似乎都看着他。琼恩能感觉每一双细小的黑眼停在他身上的重量。“如今就是我要抉择的时刻……您的意思，是这样吗？”
Maester Aemon
turned his head and looked at him with those dead white eyes. It was as if he
were seeing right into his heart. Jon felt naked and exposed. He took the
bucket in both hands and flung the rest of the slops through the bars. Strings
of meat and blood flew everywhere, scattering the ravens. They took to the air,
shrieking wildly. The quicker birds snatched morsels on the wing and gulped
them down greedily. Jon let the empty bucket clang to the floor.
伊蒙师傅转过头，用那双瞎了的白眼“看”着他，仿佛可以看透他的心。琼恩觉得自己赤裸裸的，什么都藏不住。他情不自禁地两手握起桶子，把剩下的碎肉全倒进笼里。肉条和血水，四处飞溅，渡鸦纷纷振翅散开，疯狂尖叫。动作快的在空中叼住肉条，贪婪地大口吞咽。琼恩松开手，任由空桶“咔啦”落地。
The old man laid
a withered, spotted hand on his shoulder. “It hurts, boy,” he said softly. “Oh,
yes. Choosing?.?.?.?it has always hurt. And always will. I know.”
老人伸出一只枯槁而遍布斑点的手，放在他肩上。“孩子，这很痛苦，”他轻声说，“噢，可不是嘛，做出抉择……总是痛苦的。现在如此，以后依然。我知道。”
“You don’t know,” Jon said bitterly. “No one knows. Even if I am his
bastard, he’s still my father?.?.?.?”
“不，你不知道。”琼恩苦涩地说，“没有人知道。就算我是他的私生子，他依旧是我父亲……”
Maester Aemon
sighed. “Have you heard nothing I’ve told you, Jon? Do you think you are the
first?” He shook his ancient head, a gesture weary beyond words. “Three times
the gods saw fit to test my vows. Once when I was a boy, once in the fullness
of my manhood, and once when I had grown old. By then my strength was fled, my
eyes grown dim, yet that last choice was as cruel as the first. My ravens would
bring the news from the south, words darker than their wings, the ruin of my
House, the death of my kin, disgrace and desolation. What could I have done,
old, blind, frail? I was helpless as a suckling babe, yet still it grieved me
to sit forgotten as they cut down my brother’s poor grandson, and his son, and
even the little children?.?.?.?”
伊蒙师傅叹道：“琼恩，我刚才告诉你的，你难道都没听进去？你难道认为自己是第一个经历考验的人吗？”他摇摇苍老的头，那是个虚弱得难以形容的动作。“天上诸神为我的誓言设立过三次考验。一次在我年幼，一次我正值壮年，最后一次则在我步入老年之后。那时我已年老体衰，视力渐弱，然而面临的抉择如同第一次那般残酷。渡鸦从南方带来我家族灭亡的消息。黑色的翅膀，黑暗的消息。我的亲人死亡、名声扫地、景况凄凉。但我这个身体虚弱的瞎眼老人能做些什么呢？我像是襁褓中嗷嗷待哺的婴儿一般无助，可一旦想到自己坐在这里，置身事外，听任他们杀害我弟弟可怜的孙子，他的曾孙，还有那些无辜的孩儿……”
Jon was shocked
to see the shine of tears in the old man’s eyes. “Who are you?” he asked
quietly, almost in dread.
老人眼中晶莹的泪水，让琼恩惊骇得不能言语。“您究竟是谁？”他近乎恐惧地轻声问。
A toothless
smile quivered on the ancient lips. “Only a maester of the Citadel, bound in
service to Castle Black and the Night’s Watch. In my order, we put aside our
house names when we take our vows and don the collar.” The old man touched the
maester’s chain that hung loosely around his thin, fleshless neck. “My father
was Maekar, the First of his Name, and my brother Aegon reigned after him in my
stead. My grandfather named me for Prince Aemon the Dragonknight, who was his
uncle, or his father, depending on which tale you believe. Aemon, he called
me?.?.?.?”
那双老迈的唇微微牵起，露出一张无牙的嘴。“不过就是个自学城毕业，立誓为黑城堡与守夜人奉献心力的学士罢了。在我的组织里，每当我们立下誓言，戴起项链之时，便须抛弃原有的家族姓氏。”老人摸摸挂在自己削瘦脖子上的项链。“我的父亲是梅卡一世，在他之后，我的弟弟伊耿代替我继承王位。我的祖父为我取名伊蒙，用以纪念龙骑士伊蒙王子，也就是他的叔叔，或者他的父亲，看你相信哪个版本的故事。我原名……”
“Aemon?.?.?.?Targaryen?” Jon could scarcely believe it.
“伊蒙……‘坦格利安’？”琼恩简直不敢相信。
“Once,” the old man said. “Once. So you see, Jon, I do know?.?.?.?and
knowing, I will not tell you stay or go. You must make that choice yourself,
and live with it all the rest of your days. As I have.” His voice fell to a
whisper. “As I have?.?.?.?”
“都是过去的事，”老人说：“过去的事了。所以，琼恩，你看，我的确是明白你的感受……正因为明白，所以我不会要求你留下或是离开。你必须自己做出这个抉择，然后一辈子与之相伴，就像我一样。”他的声音只剩呓语。“就像我一样……”