“國王？還是你？”宋格輕蔑地哼了一聲，“隨你怎么安排，馬賽。她仍將被燒掉，她和她的國王血脈。紅衣女曾經說過，國王血脈里有種力量。能取悅我們的光之王的力量。”

“The king? Or you?” Suggs snorted his contempt. “Scheme all you like, Massey. She’ll still be for the fire, her and her king’s blood. There’s power in king’s blood, the red woman used to say. Power to please our lord.”

“讓拉赫洛滿足于我們剛獻給他的那四個人吧。”

“Let R’hllor be content with the four we just sent him.”

“四個卑賤的鄉下人，乞丐的施舍。那種人渣不會讓雪停住，她或許能。”

“Four baseborn churls. A beggar’s offering. Scum like that will never stop the snow. She might.”

‘女熊’說道，“那么如果你燒了她雪仍下個不停，怎么辦？你下次會燒誰？燒我？”

The She-Bear spoke. “And if you burn her and the snows still fall, what then? Who will you burn next? Me?”

阿莎忍不住脫口而出，“為什么不是克拉頓爵士？或許拉赫洛會喜歡某個他自己的信徒。一個忠誠的男人將會頌唱贊歌，當火焰舔上他的老二的時候。”

Asha could hold her tongue no longer. “Why not Ser Clayton? Perhaps R’hllor would like one of his own. A faithful man who will sing his praises as the flames lick at his cock.”

朱斯丁爵士大笑。宋格沒被逗笑，“享受你的傻笑吧，馬賽。如果雪下個不停，我們看看到那時能笑得出來的是誰。”他瞥了一眼木樁上的幾個死人，微笑了，然后轉身加入高迪爵士和其他后黨的人群。

Ser Justin laughed. Suggs was less amused. “Enjoy your giggle, Massey. If the snow keeps falling, we will see who is laughing then.” He glanced at the dead men on their stakes, smiled, and went off to join Ser Godry and the other queen’s men.

“我的救星，”阿莎對朱斯丁·馬賽說道。無論他的動機是什么，那都是他應得的。“謝謝你的救援，爵士。”

“My champion,” Asha said to Justin Massey. He deserved that much, whatever his motives. “Thank you for the rescue, ser.”

“這樣做你將不會在后黨人中贏得朋友，”‘女熊’說道，“你失去對紅神拉赫洛的信仰了嗎？”

“It will not win you friends amongst the queen’s men,” said the She-Bear. “Have you lost your faith in red R’hllor?”

“我失去信仰的遠不止這些，”馬賽說道，他的呼吸在空氣中形成一團白霧，“但我仍然相信晚餐，你們要不要和我一起去，我的女士們？”

“I have lost faith in more than that,” Massey said, his breath a pale mist in the air, “but I still believe in supper. Will you join me, my ladies?”

亞莉珊·莫爾蒙搖搖頭，“我沒有胃口。”

Aly Mormont shook her head. “I have no appetite.”

“我也是，但盡管如此，你們最好還是強咽下去幾塊馬肉，否則用不了多久你們就會后悔。從深林堡進軍時，我們有800匹馬，到昨晚只剩下64匹。”

“Nor I. But you had best choke down some horsemeat all the same, or you may soon wish you had. We had eight hundred horses when we marched from Deepwood Motte. Last night the count was sixty-four.”

他的話并沒有讓她感到震驚。他們幾乎所有的高大戰馬都死了，包括馬賽自己的。大多數馱馬也死了，甚至是北方人的犁馬都因缺少飼料而搖搖欲倒。但他們還要馬干什么？史坦尼斯不再向任何地方進軍。太陽、月亮和星星消失了如此長的時間，甚至阿莎開始想知道自己是否只是夢見過它們。“我去吃。”

That did not shock her. Almost all of their big destriers had failed, including Massey’s own. Most of their palfreys were gone as well. Even the garrons of the northmen were faltering for want of fodder. But what did they need horses for? Stannis was no longer marching anywhere. The sun and moon and stars had been gone so long that Asha was starting to wonder whether she had dreamed them. “I will eat.”

亞莉珊搖搖頭，“我不去。”

Aly shook her head. “Not me.”

“那么，讓我看管阿莎小姐吧，”朱斯丁爵士告訴她，“我向你保證，我不會讓她逃跑。”

“Let me look after Lady Asha, then,” Ser Justin told her. “You have my word, I shall not permit her to escape.”

‘女熊’勉強地表示同意，對他語氣里的嘲弄充耳不聞。他們從那兒分開了，亞莉珊回自己的帳篷，她和朱斯丁·馬賽去長廳。路沒多遠，但積雪很深，風吹的又猛又急，而且阿莎的雙腳好像凍成了冰塊。每走一步，她的腳踝都感到刺痛。

The She-Bear gave her grudging assent, deaf to the japery in his tone. They parted there, Aly to her tent, she and Justin Massey to the longhall. It was not far, but the drifts were deep, the wind was gusty, and Asha’s feet were blocks of ice. Her ankle stabbed at her with every step.

盡管矮小而簡陋，但這個長廳仍然是村莊里最高大的建筑，所以領主和長官們都將它據為己有了，而史坦尼斯則定居在湖岸邊的石頭瞭望塔里。一對衛兵守在門側，斜倚在長矛上。一個衛兵為馬賽提起潤滑門拴，朱斯丁爵士陪同阿莎走進這神賜的溫暖之中。

Small and mean as it was, the longhall was the largest building in the village, so the lords and captains had taken it for themselves, whilst Stannis settled into the stone watchtower by the lakeshore. A pair of guardsmen flanked its door, leaning on tall spears. One lifted the greased door flap for Massey, and Ser Justin escorted Asha through to the blessed warmth within.

長凳和擱板桌沿著長廳的每一邊擺開，能坐下50人的房間……然而，兩倍數目的人擠在里面。土質地板的中間挖了一條火坑，上面的屋頂上有一排出煙孔。狼家人坐在火坑的一邊，騎士和南方領主們占據了另一邊。

Benches and trestle tables ran along either side of the hall, with room for fifty men … though twice that number had squeezed themselves inside. A fire trench had been dug down the middle of the earthen floor, with a row of smokeholes in the roof above. The wolves had taken to sitting on one side of the trench, the knights and southron lords upon the other.

南方人看起來都很可憐，阿莎想——削瘦、兩頰凹陷，有些人臉色是病態的蒼白，其他人的臉則通紅風傷。相比之下，北方人似乎顯得強壯健康，高大面色紅潤的北方人長著像刷子一樣厚實的胡子，穿著毛皮和鐵甲。他們可能也又冷又餓，但進軍對他們來說更容易，因為他們用犁馬和‘熊爪’。

The southerners looked a sorry lot, Asha thought—gaunt and hollow-cheeked, some pale and sick, others with red and wind-scoured faces. By contrast the northmen seemed hale and healthy, big ruddy men with beards as thick as bushes, clad in fur and iron. They might be cold and hungry too, but the marching had gone easier for them, with their garrons and their bear-paws.

阿莎摘下毛皮的露指手套，活動手指讓她的臉部肌肉抽搐。隨著她半凍僵的雙腳在溫暖中解凍，疼痛迅速傳到她的雙腿。佃農們逃跑時留下了充足的泥炭，所以空氣中彌漫著煙霧和泥炭燃燒的濃重土味。她抖掉斗篷上粘覆的冰雪，然后掛在門里的一個掛鉤上。

Asha peeled off her fur mittens, wincing as she flexed her fingers. Pain shot up her legs as her half-frozen feet began to thaw in the warmth. The crofters had left behind a good supply of peat when they fled, so the air was hazy with smoke and the rich, earthy smell of burning turf. She hung her cloak on a peg inside the door after shaking off the snow that clung to it.

朱斯丁爵士在長凳上找到他們的位置，又取來他們兩人的晚餐——麥芽酒和成塊的馬肉，外面焦黑里面血紅。阿莎喝了一口麥芽酒，然后開始吃馬肉。分量比她上次吃到的更少了，但她的肚子聞到馬肉的香味仍然咕嚕作響。“謝謝你，爵士。”她說道，任憑血和油脂流下她的面頰。

Ser Justin found them places on the bench and fetched supper for the both of them—ale and chunks of horsemeat, charred black outside and red within. Asha took a sip of ale and fell upon the horse flesh. The portion was smaller than the last she’d tasted, but her belly still rumbled at the smell of it. “My thanks, ser,” she said, as blood and grease ran down her chin.

“叫我朱斯丁，我堅持。”馬賽把自己的馬肉切成碎塊，然后用匕首刺入一塊。

“Justin. I insist.” Massey cut his own meat into chunks and stabbed one with his dagger.

桌子下首，威爾·福克斯拉夫（Will Foxglove）正在告訴他周圍的人們：史坦尼斯將會在三天后繼續向臨冬城進軍。他是從一個照料國王戰馬的馬夫之口得知的。“陛下在他的火焰中看到了勝利，”福克斯拉夫說，“一個將在領主城堡和平民木屋間傳唱一千年的勝利。”

Down the table, Will Foxglove was telling the men around him that Stannis would resume his march on Winterfell three days hence. He’d had it from the lips of one of the grooms who tended the king’s horses. “His Grace has seen victory in his fires,” Foxglove said, “a victory that will be sung of for a thousand years in lord’s castle and peasant’s hut alike.”

朱斯丁·馬賽從他的馬肉上抬起頭，“昨夜為止，凍死的人數已經達到80。”他從牙上剔下一塊軟骨，然后彈給離的最近的狗。“如果我們進軍，我們將會死掉數百人。”

Justin Massey looked up from his horsemeat. “The cold count last night reached eighty.” He pulled a piece of gristle from his teeth and flicked it to the nearest dog. “If we march, we will die by the hundreds.”

“如果我們留在這，我們將會死掉數千人。”亨佛利·克萊夫頓（Humfrey Clifton）爵士說，“讓我說，進軍或者死亡。”

“We will die by the thousands if we stay here,” said Ser Humfrey Clifton. “Press on or die, I say.”

“進軍并且死亡，我的答案。即使我們到達臨冬城，結果會怎樣？我們怎么攻下它？半數我們的人都虛弱到幾乎邁不開步，你們會指望他們攀登城墻？建攻城塔？”

“Press on and die, I answer. And if we reach Winterfell, what then? How do we take it? Half our men are so weak they can scarce put one foot before another. Will you set them to scaling walls? Building siege towers?”

“我們應該留在這兒直到天氣好轉。”奧穆德·維爾德（Ormund Wylde）爵士說道，一個死尸樣的老爵士，他的本性與名字不符。阿莎曾聽到謠傳，有些士兵正在下賭注：哪個大騎士和領主將是下一個死去的人。奧穆德爵士顯然是投注的最熱門人選。又有多少金幣押在我身上呢，我想知道？阿莎想，可能還有時間去下一注。“在這里，我們至少還有個庇護所，”維爾德堅持說道，“而且，湖里還有魚。”

“We should remain here until the weather breaks,” said Ser Ormund Wylde, a cadaverous old knight whose nature gave the lie to his name. Asha had heard rumors that some of the men-at-arms were wagering on which of the great knights and lords would be the next to die. Ser Ormund had emerged as a clear favorite. And how much coin was placed on me, I wonder? Asha thought. Perhaps there is still time to put down a wager. “Here at least we have some shelter,” Wylde was insisting, “and there are fish in the lakes.”

“魚兒太少，而漁夫太多。”匹斯布瑞（Peasebury）大人沮喪地說道。他有充分的理由沮喪，高迪爵士剛剛燒死的四人就是他的部下。而且就在這個大廳里，有些人都說過：匹斯布瑞自己肯定知道他們的所作所為，甚至可能分享過他們的大餐。

“Too few fish and too many fishermen,” Lord Peasebury said gloomily. He had good reason for gloom; it was his men Ser Godry had just burned, and there were some in this very hall who had been heard to say that Peasebury himself surely knew what they were doing and might even have shared in their feasts.

“他說的不錯，”奈德·伍茲（Ned Woods）嘟囔，來自深林堡的一個偵察兵，被稱為‘沒鼻子’奈德，兩個冬季以前凍瘡奪去了他的鼻尖。伍茲比在世的任何一個人都更了解狼林，即使是國王最驕傲的領主們對他說出的話都得學著聽從。“我了解那些湖泊。你們一直耗在湖上，就像蛆蟲們爬在一具尸體上，你們中的數百人。在冰上打了那么多的洞，這真是前所未有的血腥奇觀。湖島外面，有些地方看起來就像是老鼠們啃過的一塊奶酪。”他搖搖頭，“那些湖不行了，你們都把里面的魚捕盡了。”

“He’s not wrong,” grumbled Ned Woods, one of the scouts from Deepwood. Noseless Ned, he was called; frostbite had claimed the tip of his nose two winters past. Woods knew the wolfwood as well as any man alive. Even the king’s proudest lords had learned to listen when he spoke. “I know them lakes. You been on them like maggots on a corpse, hundreds o’ you. Cut so many holes in the ice it’s a bloody wonder more haven’t fallen through. Out by the island, there’s places look like a cheese the rats been at.” He shook his head. “Lakes are done. You fished them out.”

“所有這些都給了我們更多進軍的理由，”亨佛利·克萊夫頓堅持道，“如果命中注定難逃一死，那就讓我們手里握劍而死。”

“All the more reason to march,” insisted Humfrey Clifton. “If death is our fate, let us die with swords in hand.”

跟昨晚和前晚一樣，都是爭論同樣的問題。進軍和死亡，留在這兒和死亡，退兵和死亡。

It was the same argument as last night and the night before. Press on and die, stay here and die, fall back and die.

“隨便你愿意怎么去死吧，亨佛利，”朱斯丁·馬賽說，“至于我自己，我寧愿活著見到另一個春天。”

“Feel free to perish as you wish, Humfrey,” said Justin Massey. “Myself, I would sooner live to see another spring.”

“或許有人會稱之為懦夫，”匹斯布瑞大人回應。

“Some might call that craven,” Lord Peasebury replied.

“懦夫總好過一個吃人肉的。”

“Better a craven than a cannibal.”

匹斯布瑞的臉因突然的狂怒而扭曲，“你——”

Peasebury’s face twisted in sudden fury. “You—”

“死亡是戰爭的一部分，朱斯丁。”理查德·霍普爵士站在門里邊，融雪水打濕了他的黑頭發。“那些跟著我們一起進軍的人將分享我們從波頓和他的私生子那里獲取的所有戰利品，而且更會分享不朽的榮譽。那些虛弱到無法進軍的人必須自己照顧自己。但我向你們保證，一旦攻下臨冬城，我們將會送食物過來。”

“Death is part of war, Justin.” Ser Richard Horpe stood inside the door, his dark hair damp with melting snow. “Those who march with us will have a share in all the plunder we take from Bolton and his bastard, and a greater share of glory undying. Those too weak to march must fend for themselves. But you have my word, we shall send food once we have taken Winterfell.”

“你們不會攻下臨冬城！”

“You will not take Winterfell!”

“是啊，我們不會，”高桌上某處傳來咯咯的笑聲，那里坐著阿爾夫·卡史塔克、他的兒子亞瑟（Arthor）和他的三個孫子。阿爾夫大人強行起身——像一只禿鷹從它的獵物上飛起——用一只滿是老人斑點的手抓住他兒子的肩膀支撐身體。“我們將為奈德大人和他的女兒奪取它。是的，還有少狼主，那個被殘酷殺戮的大男孩。我和我的部下將為你們帶路，如果需要的話。我對尊敬的國王陛下也是這么說的。進軍，我說，一個月之內，我們都將沐浴在波頓和佛雷的鮮血之中。”

“Aye, we will,” came a cackle from the high table, where Arnolf Karstark sat with his son Arthor and three grandsons. Lord Arnolf shoved himself up, a vulture rising from its prey. One spotted hand clutched at his son’s shoulder for support. “We’ll take it for the Ned and for his daughter. Aye, and for the Young Wolf too, him who was so cruelly slaughtered. Me and mine will show the way, if need be. I’ve said as much to His Good Grace the king. March, I said, and before the moon can turn, we’ll all be bathing in the blood of Freys and Boltons.”

人們開始猛跺雙腳，用拳頭用力敲打桌面。幾乎全是北方人，阿莎注意到。沿著火坑，南方領主們安靜地坐在長凳上。

Men began to stamp their feet, to pound their fists against the tabletop. Almost all were northmen, Asha noted. Across the fire trench, the southron lords sat silent on the benches.

朱斯丁·馬賽等著喧囂聲漸漸低下去，然后說道，“你的勇氣讓人欽佩，卡史塔克大人，但勇氣不會攻破臨冬城的城墻。你打算怎么攻下臨冬城，祈禱？用雪球？”

Justin Massey waited until the uproar had died away. Then he said, “Your courage is admirable, Lord Karstark, but courage will not breach the walls of Winterfell. How do you mean to take the castle, pray? With snowballs?”

阿爾夫大人的一個孫子給出了答案。“我們將砍倒樹木做成攻城錘撞開城門。”

One of Lord Arnolf’s grandsons gave answer. “We’ll cut down trees for rams to break the gates.”

“然后死去。”

“And die.”

另一個孫子用只有他自己聽到的小聲說，“我們將制造木梯，爬上城墻。”

Another grandson made himself heard. “We’ll make ladders, scale the walls.”

“然后死去。”

“And die.”

亞瑟·卡史塔克大聲說道，他阿爾夫大人的小兒子。“我們將立起攻城塔。”

Up spoke Arthor Karstark, Lord Arnolf’s younger son. “We’ll raise siege towers.”

“然后死去，死去，死去。”朱斯丁爵士轉了轉眼珠，“諸神慈悲，你們卡史塔克都是傻子嗎？”

“And die, and die, and die.” Ser Justin rolled his eyes. “Gods be good, are all you Karstarks mad?”

“諸神？”理查德·霍普說，“你忘了你的身份。朱斯丁。在這里，我們只有一個神。站在我們一邊就不要說那些惡魔。現在只有光之王能拯救我們，你不同意嗎？”他把手放在劍柄上，好像是為了強調，但他的眼睛沒有一刻離開朱斯丁·馬賽的臉。

“Gods?” said Richard Horpe. “You forget yourself, Justin. We have but one god here. Speak not of demons in this company. Only the Lord of Light can save us now. Wouldn’t you agree?” He put his hand upon the hilt of his sword, as if for emphasis, but his eyes never left the face of Justin Massey.

那樣的注視之下，朱斯丁爵士蔫了。“光之王，是的。我對光之王的信仰和你的一樣深。理查德，你知道這點。”

Beneath that gaze, Ser Justin wilted. “The Lord of Light, aye. My faith runs as deep as your own, Richard, you know that.”

“我懷疑的是你的勇氣，朱斯丁，而不是你的信仰。自從我們從深林堡騎馬出來，沒走一步你都在宣講失敗。這讓我想知道你到底站在哪一邊。”

“It is your courage I question, Justin, not your faith. You have preached defeat every step of the way since we rode forth from Deepwood Motte. It makes me wonder whose side you are on.”

一片紅暈爬上馬賽的脖頸。“我不會留在這兒被人侮辱。”他猛地從墻上扯過他的濕斗篷——如此用力阿莎都聽到了撕裂聲——然后大踏步地走過霍普穿過廳門。一陣冷風吹進大廳，吹起火坑里的灰燼，吹的火焰更顯明亮。

A flush crept up Massey’s neck. “I will not stay here to be insulted.” He wrenched his damp cloak down from the wall so hard that Asha heard it tear, then stalked past Horpe and through the door. A blast of cold air blew through the hall, raising ashes from the fire trench and fanning its flames a little brighter.

破碎的那樣快，阿莎想，我的救星是牛脂做的。即便如此，朱斯丁爵士仍是少數幾個有可能反對燒死她的后黨人之一。所以她站起身，穿上自己的斗篷，然后跟隨他走入暴風雪之中。

Broken quick as that, thought Asha. My champion is made of suet. Even so, Ser Justin was one of the few who might object should the queen’s men try to burn her. So she rose to her feet, donned her own cloak, and followed him out into the blizzard.

剛走出去十碼，她就迷路了。阿莎能看到瞭望塔頂上正在燃燒的烽火，一團模糊的橘色的光暈漂浮在空氣中。另外，村莊不見了。她獨自走在一個冰雪和安靜構成的白色世界，爬越她的大腿深的雪堆。“朱斯丁？”她喊。沒有回應。她聽到左側某個地方傳來馬嘶聲。可憐的馬叫聲充滿了恐懼，它可能知道自己將成為明天的晚餐。阿莎拉了拉斗篷把自己裹的更緊。

She was lost before she had gone ten yards. Asha could see the beacon fire burning atop the watchtower, a faint orange glow floating in the air. Elsewise the village was gone. She was alone in a white world of snow and silence, plowing through snowdrifts as high as her thighs. “Justin?” she called. There was no answer. Somewhere to her left she heard a horse whicker. The poor thing sounds frightened. Perhaps he knows that he’s to be tomorrow’s supper. Asha pulled her cloak about her tightly.

她跌跌撞撞地不知不覺又回到村莊綠地。兩根松木樹樁仍站在那兒，燒焦燒黑但并沒有燒穿。纏著死人的鐵鏈現在已經冷卻，她看到，但仍然用它們的臂膀緊緊地鎖住尸體。一只渡鴉棲身在一具尸體上，正在啄食緊貼在焦黑頭顱之上的燒焦肉塊。吹起的冰雪已經覆蓋了火葬堆底部的灰燼，并且順著死人的腿往上爬已經沒過他的腳踝。舊神們打算埋葬他，阿莎想，這并不是他們的職責。

She blundered back onto the village green unknowing. The pinewood stakes still stood, charred and scorched but not burned through. The chains about the dead had cooled by now, she saw, but still held the corpses fast in their iron embrace. A raven was perched atop one, pulling at the tatters of burned flesh that clung to its blackened skull. The blowing snow had covered the ashes at the base of the pyre and crept up the dead man’s leg as far as his ankle. The old gods mean to bury him, Asha thought. This was no work of theirs.

“好好瞧瞧吧，陰道，”克拉頓·宋格在她身后用低沉的聲音說道，“等到你被火烤的時候，那看起來才叫漂亮。告訴我，烏賊會尖叫嗎？”

“Take a good long gander, cunt,” the deep voice of Clayton Suggs said, behind her. “You’ll look just as pretty once you’re roasted. Tell me, can squids scream?”

我的父神啊，要是你在波濤之下的水王大廳能聽到我的請求，就賜給我只要一把小小的飛斧吧。淹神沒有回應，他很少回應。諸神都是如此。“你看到朱斯丁爵士了嗎？”

God of my fathers, if you can hear me in your watery halls beneath the waves, grant me just one small throwing axe. The Drowned God did not answer. He seldom did. That was the trouble with gods. “Have you seen Ser Justin?”

“那個精力旺盛的傻子？你想跟他做什么，陰道？如果你需要的是被操，我比馬賽男人多了。”

“That prancing fool? What do you want with him, cunt? If it’s a fuck you need, I’m more a man than Massey.”

又說陰道？真是奇怪，怎么像宋格這樣的男人會喜歡用那個詞貶低女人呢，而它恰恰是他們看重一個女人的唯一所在。而且宋格比‘中間的’里德爾更差勁。當他說出這個詞時，他想要它。“你的國王會用閹刑對待強奸犯。”她提醒他。

Cunt again? It was odd how men like Suggs used that word to demean women when it was the only part of a woman they valued. And Suggs was worse than Middle Liddle. When he says the word, he means it. “Your king gelds men for rape,” she reminded him.

克拉頓爵士咯咯地笑起來，“國王半瞎的雙眼除了盯進火焰中什么也看不到。但不用害怕，陰道，我不會強奸你。我需要殺死你以后，而且我更愿意看你被燒死。”

Ser Clayton chuckled. “The king’s half-blind from staring into fires. But have no fear, cunt, I’ll not rape you. I’d need to kill you after, and I’d sooner see you burn.”

那匹馬又發出嘶叫聲。“你聽到了嗎？

There’s that horse again. “Do you hear that?”

“聽到什么？”

“Hear what?”

“一匹馬。不，是一群馬。不止一匹。”她轉過頭，傾聽。風雪讓那些聲音聽起來很奇怪，很難判斷聲音從哪個方向傳來。

“A horse. No, horses. More than one.” She turned her head, listening. The snow did queer things to sound. It was hard to know which direction it had come from.

“這是某些烏賊的把戲嗎？我沒聽到——”宋格皺眉，“七層地獄。是騎兵。”他摸索到身上的劍帶，皮革手套讓的雙手笨拙，終于成功地將長劍從劍鞘中拔出來。

“Is this some squid game? I don’t hear—” Suggs scowled. “Bloody hell. Riders.” He fumbled at his sword belt, his hands clumsy in their fur-and-leather gloves, and finally succeeded in ripping his longsword from its scabbard.

到那時，騎兵們已出現在他們面前。

By then the riders were upon them.

他們從暴風雪中出現，就像一群幽靈，都是騎在矮小馬匹上的高大男人，身上穿著的厚重毛皮讓他們更顯得高大。刀劍懸掛在他們的腰側，隨著它們在劍鞘中咔嗒作響奏唱出溫柔的鋼鐵之曲。阿莎看到一把戰斧捆在一個人的馬鞍上，一個戰錘掛在另一個人背上。他們也帶著盾牌，但冰雪讓視線模糊，以至于攜帶盾牌的手臂都不能看清。盡管穿著數層的羊毛、毛皮和熟皮革，但阿莎感到渾身赤裸地站在那兒。號角，她想，我需要一支號角來喚醒營地。

They emerged from the storm like a troop of wraiths, big men on small horses, made even bigger by the bulky furs they wore. Swords rode on their hips, singing their soft steel song as they rattled in their scabbards. Asha saw a battle-axe strapped to one man’s saddle, a warhammer on another’s back. Shields they bore as well, but so obscured by snow and ice that the arms upon them could not be read. For all her layers of wool and fur and boiled leather, Asha felt naked standing there. A horn, she thought, I need a horn to rouse the camp.

“快跑！你這個愚蠢的陰道！”克拉頓爵士大喊，“快去向國王示警，波頓大人來襲擊我們了！”宋格可能是個衣冠禽獸，但他從不缺乏勇氣。長劍在手，他大跨步地穿過雪地，置自己于騎兵們和國王塔樓之間，那烽火在他身后發出微弱的光，像是某個奇怪神靈的橘色眼睛。“那邊是誰？站住！站住！”

“Run, you stupid cunt,” Ser Clayton shouted. “Run warn the king. Lord Bolton is upon us.” A brute he might have been, but Suggs did not want for courage. Sword in hand, he strode through the snow, putting himself between the riders and the king’s tower, its beacon glimmering behind him like the orange eye of some strange god. “Who goes there? Halt! Halt!”

領頭的騎兵在他身前勒住戰馬。其他騎兵在他后面，可能有二十人之多。阿莎沒有時間去數清他們。也許還有數百上千人在外面的暴風雪之中，緊隨他們身后艱難跋涉而來。借著黑暗和紛飛的冰雪掩身，盧斯·波頓的全部軍隊可能都來襲擊他們。然而，這些……

The lead rider reined up before him. Behind were others, perhaps as many as a score. Asha had no time to count them. Hundreds more might be out there in the storm, coming hard upon their heels. Roose Bolton’s entire host might be descending on them, hidden by darkness and swirling snow. These, though …

說他們是偵察兵吧，人數太多了，軍隊前鋒人又太少。而且有兩人通身黑衣。守夜人，她突然明白了。“你們是誰？” 她喊道。

They are too many to be scouts and too few to make a vanguard. And two were all in black. Night’s Watch, she realized suddenly. “Who are you?” she called.

“朋友，” 回答她的聲音似曾相識。“我們前往臨冬城找你，卻只找到鴉食·安柏（Crowfood Umber）在擊鼓吹號。我們花了點時間才找到你。” 來人翻身下馬，把風帽往后一掀，低頭行禮。他胡子如此茂密，又結了一層冰殼，有那么一會，阿莎沒有認出來。終于她想起來了。“崔斯（Tris）？【阿莎青梅竹馬的伙伴】” 她問道。

“Friends,” a half-familiar voice replied. “We looked for you at Winterfell, but found only Crowfood Umber beating drums and blowing horns. It took some time to find you.” The rider vaulted from his saddle, pulled back his hood, and bowed. So thick was his beard, and so crusted with ice, that for a moment Asha did not know him. Then it came. “Tris?” she said.

“女士。” 崔斯提福爾·伯特利（Tristifer Botley）單膝跪下。“The Maid 也在這里。 Roggon， Grimtongue， Fingers， Rook … 我們六個。能騎馬的都來了。Cromm 傷重去世。”

“My lady.” Tristifer Botley took a knee. “The Maid is here as well. Roggon, Grimtongue, Fingers, Rook … six of us, all those fit enough to ride. Cromm died of his wounds.”

“怎么回事？” 克雷頓·薩格斯（Clayton Suggs）急問道。“你是她的手下？你怎么從深林堡的地牢逃出來的？”

“What is this?” Ser Clayton Suggs demanded. “You’re one of hers? How did you get loose of Deepwood’s dungeons?”

崔斯（Tris）起身，拂去膝上的雪。“茜貝拉·葛洛佛（Sybelle Glover）以國王的名義接受了一筆可觀的贖金后釋放了我們。”

Tris rose and brushed the snow from his knees. “Sybelle Glover was offered a handsome ransom for our freedom and chose to accept it in the name of the king.”

“什么贖金？誰會為你們這些鐵島渣滓浪費金錢？”

“What ransom? Who would pay good coin for sea scum?”

“我，爵士。” 說話者騎馬上前來。他身材高挑精瘦，腿極長，讓人奇怪怎么沒拖到地上。“我亟需一支精干的衛隊護送我尋找國王，而茜貝拉（Sybelle）亟需減幾張嘴吃飯。” 高個子的臉被圍巾遮著，但是他戴著某種柔軟的布料織成的塔形無邊帽，好像三個圓柱體一個疊在另一個上，自從上次航行至泰洛西之后，阿莎就再沒見過這樣古怪的帽子了。“聽說史坦尼斯國王在此。我要立刻覲見，十萬火急。”

“I did, ser.” The speaker came forward on his garron. He was very tall, very thin, so long-legged that it was a wonder his feet did not drag along the ground. “I had need of a strong escort to see me safely to the king, and Lady Sybelle had need of fewer mouths to feed.” A scarf concealed the tall man’s features, but atop his head was perched the queerest hat Asha had seen since the last time she had sailed to Tyrosh, a brimless tower of some soft fabric, like three cylinders stacked one atop the other. “I was given to understand that I might find King Stannis here. It is most urgent that I speak with him at once.”

“你他媽的又是誰？”

“And who in seven stinking hells are you?”

高個子優雅地溜下馬，摘下怪帽，鞠了一躬。“在下泰克·奈斯托瑞斯（Tycho Nestoris），布拉佛斯鐵金庫的謙卑仆人。”

The tall man slid gracefully from his garron, removed his peculiar hat, and bowed. “I have the honor to be Tycho Nestoris, a humble servant of the Iron Bank of Braavos.”

此時此地，從黑夜里沖出的騎手，居然是一個布拉佛斯銀行家，這完完全全出乎阿莎意料之外。荒謬離奇至此，她忍不住放聲大笑。“史坦尼斯國王住在瞭望塔。克雷頓爵士（Ser Clayton）定會樂意引見。”

Of all the strange things that might have come riding out of the night, the last one Asha Greyjoy would ever have expected was a Braavosi banker. It was too absurd. She had to laugh. “King Stannis has taken the watchtower for his seat. Ser Clayton will be pleased to show you to him, I’m sure.”

“太好了。時間緊急萬分。” 銀行家用精明的黑眼睛打量著她。“如果我沒認錯，你就是葛雷喬伊家族的阿莎女士了。”

“That would be most kind. Time is of the essence.” The banker studied her with shrewd dark eyes. “You are the Lady Asha of House Greyjoy, unless I am mistaken.”

“我是葛雷喬伊家族的阿莎，是的，至于是否女士就難說了。”

“I am Asha of House Greyjoy, aye. Opinions differ on whether I’m a lady.”

布拉佛斯人微笑著。“我給你帶了禮物。” 他示意身后的一個人。“我們到臨冬城找國王。這場暴風雪同樣也困住了臨冬城，唉。我們在城墻外發現了莫爾斯·安柏（Mors Umber），帶著一幫毛頭小伙兒等待國王。他交給我這個。”

The Braavosi smiled. “We’ve brought a gift for you.” He beckoned to the men behind him. “We had expected to find the king at Winterfell. This same blizzard has engulfed the castle, alas. Beneath its walls we found Mors Umber with a troop of raw green boys, waiting for the king’s coming. He gave us this.”

一個女孩和一個老人。看著兩人被粗魯地丟到雪地里，阿莎心想。女孩雖身著皮衣，卻仍劇烈顫抖。若非飽受驚嚇，她還有些俊俏，雖然鼻尖生有黑色凍瘡。至于那位老人……沒人會說他好看。連稻草人身上肉都比他多。腦袋像是皮包著骷髏頭，頭發是白骨那種白色，污穢不堪。而且他渾身臭氣。阿莎看著他就想吐。

A girl and an old man, thought Asha, as the two were dumped rudely in the snow before her. The girl was shivering violently, even in her furs. If she had not been so frightened, she might even have been pretty, though the tip of her nose was black with frostbite. The old man … no one would ever think him comely. She had seen scarecrows with more flesh. His face was a skull with skin, his hair bone-white and filthy. And he stank. Just the sight of him filled Asha with revulsion.

他抬眼看她。“姐姐，看，這回我認出你了。”

He raised his eyes. “Sister. See. This time I knew you.”

阿莎心跳都停了。“席恩？”

Asha’s heart skipped a beat. “Theon?”

他嘴唇張開，看樣子可能是在咧嘴笑。他口中一半牙齒沒了，另一半也是碎裂的。“席恩，” 他重復著。“我叫席恩。人必須自知其名。”

His lips skinned back in what might have been a grin. Half his teeth were gone, and half of those still left him were broken and splintered. “Theon,” he repeated. “My name is Theon. You have to know your name.”