ChapterOne

Bran

第 1 章 布兰

The morning had dawnedclear and cold, with a crispness that hinted at the end of summer. They set forthat daybreak to see a man beheaded, twenty in all, and Bran rode among them,nervous with excitement. This was the first time he had been deemed old enoughto go with his lord father and his brothers to see the king’s justice done. Itwas the ninth year of summer, and the seventh of Bran’s life.

晨色清冷，带着一丝寂寥，隐然暗示夏日将尽。为数二十人的队伍于破晓时分启程，布兰策马置身其间，满心焦虑又兴奋难耐。这次他年纪总算够大，可与父兄同往刑场，一观国王律法的执行。这是夏天的第九年，布兰七岁。

The man had been takenoutside a small holdfast in the hills. Robb thought he was a wildling, hissword sworn to Mance Rayder, the King-beyond-the-Wall. It made Bran’s skinprickle to think of it. He remembered the hearth tales Old Nan told them. Thewildlings were cruel men, she said, slavers and slayers and thieves. Theyconsorted with giants and ghouls, stole girl children in the dead of night, anddrank blood from polished horns. And their women lay with the Others in theLong Night to sire terrible half-human children.

死囚已被领至小丘上的庄园，罗柏认为他是个誓死效忠“塞外之王”曼斯·雷德的野人。布兰想起老奶妈在火炉边说过的故事，不禁浑身起了鸡皮疙瘩。她说野人生性凶残蛮横，个个都是贩卖奴隶、杀人放火的偷盗之徒。他们与巨人族、食尸鬼狼狈为奸，趁黑夜诱拐童女，还以磨亮的兽角啜饮鲜血。他们的女人则相传在远古的“长夜”里与异鬼媾合，繁衍半人半鬼的恐怖后代。

But the man they foundbound hand and foot to the holdfast wall awaiting the king’s justice was oldand scrawny, not much taller than Robb. He had lost both ears and a finger tofrostbite, and he dressed all in black, the same as a brother of the Night’sWatch, except that his furs were ragged and greasy.

然而眼前这个老人削瘦枯槁，比罗柏高不了多少，手脚紧缚身后，静待国王的旨意发落。他在酷寒中因冻疮失去了双耳和一根手指。而他全身漆黑的衣服，与守夜人弟兄们的制服没有两样，只不过衣衫褴褛，脓疮四溢。

The breath of man andhorse mingled, steaming, in the cold morning air as his lord father had the mancut down from the wall and dragged before them. Robb and Jon sat tall and stillon their horses, with Bran between them on his pony, trying to seem older thanseven, trying to pretend that he’d seen all this before. A faint wind blewthrough the holdfast gate. Over their heads flapped the banner of the Starks ofWinterfell: a grey direwolf racing across an ice-white field.

人马的气息在清晨的冷空气里交织成蒸腾的雪白雾网，父亲下令将墙边的人犯松绑，拖到队伍前面。罗柏和琼恩直挺背脊，昂然跨坐鞍背；布兰则骑着小马停在两人中间，努力想表现出七岁孩童所没有的成熟气度，仿佛眼前一切早已司空见惯。微风吹过栅门，众人头顶飘扬着临冬城史塔克家族的旗帜，上面画着白底灰色的冰原奔狼。

Bran’s father satsolemnly on his horse, long brown hair stirring in the wind. His closelytrimmed beard was shot with white, making him look older than his thirty-fiveyears. He had a grim cast to his grey eyes this day, and he seemed not at allthe man who would sit before the fire in the evening and talk softly of the ageof heroes and the children of the forest. He had taken off Father’s face, Branthought, and donned the face of Lord Stark of Winterfell.

父亲神情肃穆地骑在马上，满头棕色长发在风中飞扬。他修剪整齐的胡子里冒出几缕白丝，看起来比三十五岁的实际年龄要老些。这天他的灰色眼瞳严厉无情，怎么看也不像是那个会在风雪夜里端坐炉前，娓娓细述远古英雄纪元和森林之子①故事的人。他已经摘下慈父的容颜，戴上临冬城主史塔克公爵的面具，布兰心想。

There were questions

asked and answers given there in the chill of morning, but afterwardBran could not recall much of what had been said. Finally his lord father gavea command, and two of his guardsmen dragged the ragged man to the ironwoodstump in the center of the square. They forced his head down onto the hardblack wood. Lord Eddard Stark dismounted and his ward Theon Greyjoy broughtforth the sword. “Ice,” that sword was called. It was as wide across as a man’shand, and taller even than Robb. The blade was Valyrian steel, spell-forged anddark as smoke. Nothing held an edge like Valyrian steel.

清晨的寒意里，布兰听到有人问了些问题，以及问题的答案，然而事后他却想不起来究竟说过了哪些话。总之最后父亲下了命令，两名卫士便把那衣衫褴褛的人拖到空地中央的铁树木桩前，将头硬是按在漆黑的硬木上。艾德·史塔克解鞍下马，他的养子②席恩·葛雷乔伊立刻递上宝剑。剑名“寒冰”，身宽过掌，立起来比罗柏还高。剑刃乃是用瓦雷利亚钢锻造而成，受过法术加持，颜色暗如黑烟。世上没有别的东西比瓦雷利亚钢更锐利。

His father peeled offhis gloves and handed them to Jory Cassel, the captain of his household guard.He took hold of Ice with both hands and said, “In the name of Robert of theHouse Baratheon, the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the Rhoynar andthe First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, by theword of Eddard of the House Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North,I do sentence you to die.” He lifted the greatsword high above his head.

父亲脱下手套，交给侍卫队长乔里·凯索，然后双手擎剑，朗声说道：“以安达尔人③、洛伊拿人和‘先民’的国王，七国统治者暨全境守护者，拜拉席恩家族的劳勃一世之名，我临冬城公爵与北境守护，史塔克家族的艾德，在此宣判你死刑。”语毕，他将巨剑高举过头。

Bran’s bastard brotherJon Snow moved closer. “Keep the pony well in hand,” he whispered. “And don’tlook away. Father will know if you do.”

布兰的异母哥哥琼恩·雪诺凑过来。“握紧缰绳，别让马儿乱动。 还有，千万别扭头，不然父亲会知道。”

Bran kept his pony wellin hand, and did not look away.

于是布兰紧握缰绳，没让小马乱动，也没有把头转开。

His father took off theman’s head with a single sure stroke. Blood sprayed out across the snow, as redas surnmerwine. One of the horses reared and had to be restrained to keep frombolting. Bran could not take his eyes off the blood. The snows around the stumpdrank it eagerly, reddening as he watched.

父亲巨剑一挥，利落地砍下死囚首级。鲜血溅洒在雪地上，殷红一如葡萄美酿夏日红。队伍中一匹马嘶声跃起，差点就要发狂乱跑。布兰目不转睛地直视血迹，只见树干旁的白雪饥渴地啜饮鲜血，在他的注视下迅速染成暗红。

The head bounced off athick root and rolled. It came up near Greyjoy’s feet. Theon was a lean, darkyouth of nineteen who found everything amusing. He laughed, put his boot on thehead, and kicked it away.

人头翻过树根，滚至葛雷乔伊脚边。席恩是个身形精瘦，肤色黝黑的十九岁青年，对任何事物都觉得兴致勃勃。他咧嘴一笑，扬脚踢开人头。

“Ass,” Jon muttered, lowenough so Greyjoy did not hear. He put a hand on Bran’s shoulder, and Branlooked over at his bastard brother. “You did well,” Jon told him solemnly. Jonwas fourteen, an old hand at justice.

“混账东西。”琼恩低声咒道，刻意放低声音不让葛雷乔伊听见。他伸手搭住布兰肩膀，布兰也转头看着私生子哥哥。“你做得很好。”琼恩神情庄重地告诉他。琼恩今年十四岁，观看死刑对他来说已是司空见惯。

It seemed colder on thelong ride back to Winterfell, though the wind had died by then and the sun washigher in the sky. Bran rode with his brothers, well ahead of the main party,his pony struggling hard to keep up with their horses.

冷风已停，暖阳高照，但返回临冬城的漫漫长路却似乎愈加寒冷。布兰与兄长并骑，远远走在队伍前方，他跨下小马气喘吁吁方能跟上兄长坐骑的迅捷步伐。

“The deserter diedbravely,” Robb said. He was big and broad and growing every day, with hismother’s coloring, the fair skin, red-brown hair, and blue eyes of the Tullysof Riverrun. “He had courage, at the least.”

“这逃兵死得挺勇敢。”罗柏说。高大壮硕的他每天都在成长，他承袭了母亲的白皙肤色、红褐头发，以及徒利家族的蓝色眼眸。“不管怎么说，好歹他有点勇气。”

“No,” Jon Snow saidquietly. “It was not courage. This one was dead of fear. You could see it inhis eyes, Stark.” Jon’s eyes were a grey so dark they seemed almost black, butthere was little they did not see. He was of an age with Robb, but they did notlook alike. Jon was slender where Robb was muscular, dark where Robb was fair,graceful and quick where his half brother was strong and fast.

“不对，”琼恩静静地说，“那不算勇气。史塔克，这家伙正是因为恐惧而死的，你可以从他的眼神里看出来。”琼恩的灰色眼瞳深得近乎墨黑，但世间少有事物能逃过他的观察。他与罗柏同年，两人容貌却大相径庭：罗柏肌肉发达，皮肤白皙，强壮而动作迅速；琼恩则是体格精瘦，肤色沉黑，举止优雅而敏捷。

Robb was not impressed.“The Others take his eyes,” he swore. “He died well. Race you to the bridge?”

罗柏不以为然。“叫异鬼把他眼睛给挖了罢，”他咒道，“他总算是死得壮烈。怎么样，比赛谁先到桥边？”

“Done,” Jon said,kicking his horse forward. Robb cursed and followed, and they galloped off downthe trail, Robb laughing and hooting, Jon silent and intent. The hooves oftheir horses kicked up showers of snow as they went.

“一言为定。”琼恩语毕两脚一夹马肚，纵骑前奔。罗柏咒骂几句后也追了上去，两人沿着路径向前急驰。罗柏又叫又笑，琼恩则凝神专注。马蹄在两人身后溅起一片翻飞雪雨。

Bran did not try tofollow. His pony could not keep up. He had seen the ragged man’s eyes, and hewas thinking of them now. After a while, the sound of Robb’s laughter receded,and the woods grew silent again.

布兰没有跟上去，他的小马没这般能耐。他方才见到了死囚的眼睛，现在则陷入沉思。没过多久，罗柏的笑声渐远，林间归于寂静。

So deep in thought washe that he never heard the rest of the party until his father moved up to ridebeside him. “Are you well, Bran?” he asked, not unkindly.

太过专注的他，丝毫没注意到跟进的队伍已赶上自己，直到父亲骑马赶到身边，语带关切地问：“布兰，你还好吧？”

“Yes, Father,” Bran toldhim. He looked up. Wrapped in his furs and leathers, mounted on his greatwarhorse, his lord father loomed over him like a giant. “Robb says the man diedbravely, but Jon says he was afraid.”

“父亲大人，我很好。”布兰应答，他抬头仰望父亲，父亲穿着毛皮大衣和皮革护甲，骑在雄骏战马上如巨人般笼罩住他。“罗柏说刚才那个人死得很勇敢，琼恩却说他死的时候很害怕。”

“What do you think?” hisfather asked.

“你自己怎么想呢？”他的父亲问。

Bran thought about it.“Can a man still be brave if he’s afraid?”

布兰寻思片刻后反问：“人在恐惧的时候还能勇敢吗？”

“That is the only time aman can be brave,” his father told him. “Do you understand why I did it?”

“人惟有恐惧的时候方能勇敢。”父亲告诉他，“你知道为什么我要杀他？”

“He was a wildling,”Bran said. “They carry off women and sell them to the Others.”

“因为他是野人，”布兰不假思索地回答，“他们绑架女人，然后把她们卖给异鬼。”

His lord father smiled.“OldNan has been telling you stories again. In truth, the man was anoathbreaker, a deserter from the Night’s Watch. No man is more dangerous. Thedeserter knows his life is forfeit if he is taken, so he will not flinch fromany crime, no matter how vile. But you mistake me. The question was not why theman had to die, but whyI must do it.”

父亲微笑道：“老奶妈又跟你说故事了。那人其实是个逃兵，背弃了守夜人的誓言。世间最危险的人莫过于此，因为他们自知一旦被捕，只有死路一条，于是恶向胆边生，再伤天害理的勾当也干得出来。不过你会错了意，我不是问你他为什么要死，而是我为何要亲自行刑”。

Bran had no answer forthat. “King Robert has a headsman,” he said, uncertainly.

布兰想不出答案。“我只知道劳勃国王有个刽子手，”他不太确定地说。

“He does,” his fatheradmitted. “As did the Targaryen kings before him. Yet our way is the older way.The blood of the First Men still flows in the veins of the Starks, and we holdto the belief that the man who passes the sentence should swing the sword. Ifyou would take a man’s life, you owe it to him to look into his eyes and hearhis final words. And if you cannot bear to do that, then perhaps the man doesnot deserve to die.

“他确实是由王家刽子手代劳，执行国王律法，”父亲承认，“在他之前的坦格利安王朝也是如此。但我们遵循古老的传统，史塔克家族的人体内仍流有‘先民’的血液，而我们相信判决死刑的人必须亲自动手。如果你要取人性命，至少应该注视他的双眼，聆听他的临终遗言。倘若做不到这点，那么或许他罪不致死。”

“One day, Bran, you willbe Robb’s bannerman, holding a keep of your own for your brother and your king,and justice will fall to you. When that day comes, you must take no pleasure inthe task, but neither must you look away. A ruler who hides behind paidexecutioners soon forgets what death is.”

“布兰，有朝一日你会成为罗柏的封臣，为你哥哥和国王治理属于自己的领地，届时你也必须执掌律法。当那天来临时，你绝不可以杀戮为乐，亦不能逃避责任。统治者若是躲在幕后，付钱给刽子手执行，很快就会忘记死亡为何物。”

That was when Jonreappeared on the crest of the hill before them. He waved and shouted down atthem. “Father, Bran, come quickly, see what Robb has found!” Then he was goneagain.

这时琼恩出现在他们前面的坡顶，挥手朝下大喊：“父亲大人，布兰，快来看看罗柏找到了什么！”语毕又消失在丘陵后方。

Jory rode up besidethem. “Trouble, my lord?”

乔里赶上前来，“大人，出事了吗？”

“Beyond a doubt,” hislord father said. “Come, let us see what mischief my sons have rooted out now.”He sent his horse into a trot. Jory and Bran and the rest came after.

“那还用说，”父亲大人答道，“来罢，我们去看看我那调皮的儿子又闯了什么祸。”他策马狂奔，乔里、布兰以及其他人也跟了上去。

They found Robb on theriverbank north of the bridge, with Jon still mounted beside him. The latesummer snows had been heavy this moonturn. Robb stood knee-deep in white, hishood pulled back so the sun shone in his hair. He was cradling something in hisarm, while the boys talked in hushed, excited voices.

他们在桥北河畔找到罗柏，琼恩仍在马上。这个月来，晚夏的积雪沉厚，罗柏站在及膝深的雪中，披风后敞，阳光在他发际闪耀。他怀里抱着不知什么东西，正和琼恩两人兴奋地窃语交谈。

The riders picked theirway carefully through the drifts, groping for solid footing on the hidden,uneven ground. Jory Cassel and Theon Greyjoy were the first to reach the boys.Greyjoy was laughing and joking as he rode. Bran heard the breath go out ofhim. “Gods!” he exclaimed, struggling to keep control of his horse as hereached for his sword.

队伍骑马小心地穿过河面的诸多浮物，寻找隐藏于雪地之下的崎岖地面。乔里·凯索和席恩·葛雷乔伊最先赶到男孩身边。葛雷乔伊原本正有说有笑，紧接着布兰却听他倒抽一口气。“诸神保佑！”他惊叫起来伸手拔剑，一边挣扎着稳住坐骑。

Jory’s sword was alreadyout. “Robb, get away from it!” he called as his horse reared under him.

乔里的佩剑已然出鞘，“罗柏，离那东西远点！”他刚叫出声，坐骑便已前蹄高举，人立空中。

Robb grinned and lookedup from the bundle in his arms. “She can’t hurt you,” he said. “She’s dead,Jory.”

罗柏怀里抱着一团东西，这时他嘻嘻笑着抬起头，“她伤不了你的，”他说，“乔里，她已经死啦。”

Bran was afire withcuriosity by then. He would have spurred the pony faster, but his father madethem dismount beside the bridge and approach on foot. Bran jumped off and ran.

布兰满心好奇，焦躁不安，一心只想教鞍下小马再跑快点，但父亲却要他在桥边下马，徒步前往。他迫不及待地跳下马，三步并作两步地跑了过去。

By then Jon, Jory, andTheon Greyjoy had all dismounted as well. “What in the seven hells is it?”Greyjoy was saying.

等他到来，琼恩、乔里和席恩·葛雷乔伊都已下马。“七层地狱啊， 这是什么鬼东西？”葛雷乔伊喃喃道。

“A wolf,” Robb told him.

“狼。”罗柏告诉他。

“A freak,” Greyjoy said.“Look at thesize of it.”

“胡说，”葛雷乔伊反驳，“狼哪有这么大的？”

Bran’s heart wasthumping in his chest as he pushed through a waist-high drift to his brothers’side.

布兰的心怦怦狂跳，他推开一堆齐腰的漂浮物，奔至兄长身旁。

Half-buried inbloodstained snow, a huge dark shape slumped in death. Ice had formed in itsshaggy grey fur, and the faint smell of corruption clung to it like a woman’sperfume. Bran glimpsed blind eyes crawling with maggots, a wide mouth full ofyellowed teeth. But it was the size of it that made him gasp. It was biggerthan his pony, twice the size of the largest hound in his father’s kennel.

一个巨大的暗黝身形半掩在血渍斑驳的雪堆里，绵软而无生息。蓬松的灰绒毛已经结冰，腐朽的气息紧附其间，就像女人身上的香水味，布兰隐约瞥见它无神的眼窝里爬满蛆虫，咧嘴内满是黄牙。但真正吓住他的是这只狼的体形，它竟比他的小马还大，是他父亲最大的猎犬身躯的两倍。

“It’s no freak,” Jonsaid calmly. “That’s a direwolf. They grow larger than the other kind.”

“我没骗你，”琼恩正色道，“这确实是冰原狼，他们比其他狼都要大。”

Theon Greyjoy said,“There’s not been a direwolf sighted south of the Wall in two hundred years.”

席恩·葛雷乔伊说：“可两百年来，绝境长城以南没人见过半头冰原狼。”

“I see one now,” Jonreplied.

“眼前不就是一头？”琼恩回答。

Bran tore his eyes awayfrom the monster. That was when he noticed the bundle in Robb’s arms. He gave acry of delight and moved closer. The pup was a tiny ball of grey-black fur, itseyes still closed. It nuzzled blindly against Robb’s chest as he cradled it,searching for milk among his leathers, making a sad little whimpery sound. Branreached out hesitantly. “Go on,” Robb told him. “You can touch him.”

布兰努力将视线离开面前的怪物，这才注意到罗柏怀里抱着的东西。他高兴得叫了一声，随即靠过去。那只幼狼只是团灰黑的毛球，双眼仍未张开。它盲目地往罗柏胸膛磨蹭，在他的皮护甲上寻找奶头，发出哀伤的低吟。布兰有些犹豫地探出手，“没关系，”罗柏告诉他，“你可以摸摸看。”

Bran gave the pup aquick nervous stroke, then turned as Jon said, “Here you go.” His half brotherput a second pup into his arms. “There are five of them.” Bran sat down in thesnow and hugged the wolf pup to his face. Its fur was soft and warm against hischeek.

布兰非常紧张，飞快碰了小狼一下，听到琼恩的声音，便转过头。“瞧，这只是给你的。”他的私生子哥哥把第二头幼狼放进他怀里。“总共有五只呢。”布兰在雪地里坐下，把小狼温软的皮毛贴近自己脸颊。

“Direwolves loose in therealm, after so many years,” muttered Hullen, the master of horse. “I like itnot.”

“经过了这么多年，冰原狼突然重现人间，”马房总管胡伦喃喃道，“这种事我可不喜欢。”

“It is a sign,” Jorysaid.

“这是个坏兆头。”乔里说。

Father frowned. “This isonly a dead animal, Jory,” he said. Yet he seemed troubled. Snow crunched underhis boots as he moved around the body. “Do we know what killed her?”

父亲皱起眉头。“乔里，不过是头死狼罢了。”他说，但脸庞却蒙上了一层阴霾。他绕着狼尸，积雪在他脚下碎裂。“知道它被什么杀死的吗？”

“There’s something inthe throat,” Robb told him, proud to have found the answer before his fathereven asked. “There, just under the jaw.”

“喉咙里好像有东西。”罗柏得意地回答，暗暗为自己能在父亲提出疑问前找到解答而骄傲。“就在下巴底下。”

His father knelt andgroped under the beast’s head with his hand. He gave a yank and held it up forall to see. A foot of shattered antler, tines snapped off, all wet with blood.

他的父亲蹲下来，伸手探向狼尸的头底，使劲一拧，举起某个物体让大家看。原来那是一只碎裂的鹿角，分叉断尽，染满鲜血。

A sudden silencedescended over the party. The men looked at the antler uneasily, and no onedared to speak. Even Bran could sense their fear, though he did not understand.

一阵突如其来的寂静笼罩了队伍，众人局促不安地看着那只鹿角，没有人出声说话。布兰虽然不解旁人为何惊恐，却也能感觉得到他们的惧怕。

His father tossed theantler to the side and cleansed his hands in the snow. “I’m surprised she livedlong enough to whelp,” he said. His voice broke the spell.

父亲扔开鹿角，在雪地里把手弄干净。“没想到它还有力气把孩子生下来。”他的声音打破了先前的沉默。

“Maybe she didn’t,” Jorysaid. “I’ve heard tales . . . maybe the bitch was already dead when the pupscame.”

“也许它没撑那么久，”乔里说：“我听过这样的传说……也许小 狼降生时母狼就已经死了。”

“Born with the dead,”another man put in. “Worse luck.”

“随死降生，”另一个人接口道，“这是更坏的兆头。”

“No matter,” saidHullen. “They be dead soon enough too.”

“都没差，”胡伦说，“反正这些小家伙也活不长。”

Bran gave a wordless cryof dismay.

布兰发出无声的失望叹息。

“The sooner the better,”Theon Greyjoy agreed. He drew his sword. “Give the beast here, Bran.”

“我看它们死得越快越好，”席恩·葛雷乔伊同意，他抽出佩剑。“布兰，把那东西丢过来。”

The little thingsquirmed against him, as if it heard and understood. “No!” Bran cried outfiercely. “It’s mine.”

布兰怀中的小东西仿佛听懂人话，偎着他蠕动了一下。“不要！” 他坚决地叫道，“它是我的。”

“Put away your sword,Greyjoy,” Robb said. For a moment he sounded as commanding as their father,like the lord he would someday be. “We will keep these pups.”

“葛雷乔伊，把剑拿开。”罗柏说，那一刹那，他听起来像父亲一样威严有力，正如他有朝一日将会成为的一方领主。“我们要养这些小狼。”

“You cannot do that,boy,” said Harwin, who was Hullen’s son.

“小子，这是行不通的。”胡伦的儿子哈尔温道。

“It be a mercy to killthem,” Hullen said.

“杀了它们才是慈悲啊。”胡伦接口。

Bran looked to his lordfather for rescue, but got only a frown, a furrowed brow. “Hullen speaks truly,son. Better a swift death than a hard one from cold and starvation.”

布兰朝父亲望去，期盼能找到救兵，却只见到深锁的双眉。“好儿子，胡伦说得没错。与其让它们挨饿受冻，不如干脆趁早了结。”

“No!” He could feeltears welling in his eyes, and he looked away. He did not want to cry in frontof his father.

“不要！”他已经感觉到泪水在眼眶里打转，于是转开目光，他可不想在父亲面前落泪。

Robb resistedstubbornly. “Ser Rodrik’s red bitch whelped again last week,” he said. “It wasa small litter, only two live pups. She’ll have milk enough.”

罗柏固执地继续抗拒。“罗德利克爵士的那头红母狗上星期才刚生产，”他说：“那胎死了不少，只有两只小狗活了下来，奶水应该还够它们喝。”

“She’ll rip them apartwhen they try to nurse.”

“它们只要想走近喝奶，立刻会被它撕成碎片。”

“Lord Stark,” Jon said.It was strange to hear him call Father that, so formal. Bran looked at him withdesperate hope. “There are five pups,” he told Father. “Three male, two female.”

“史塔克大人，”琼恩说。听他如此正式地称呼自己父亲，实在很怪。布兰抱着最后一丝希望看着他。“总共有五只小狼，”他告诉父亲，“三只公的，两只母的。”

“What of it, Jon?”

“琼恩，这有什么意义吗？”

“You have five truebornchildren,” Jon said. “Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil ofyour House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord.”

“您有五个孩子，”琼恩回答，“三个儿子，两个女儿。冰原狼又是你们的家徽，大人，您的孩子们注定要拥有这些小狼。”

Bran saw his father’sface change, saw the other men exchange glances. He loved Jon with all hisheart at that moment. Even at seven, Bran understood what his brother had done.The count had come right only because Jon had omitted himself. He had includedthe girls, included even Rickon, the baby, but not the bastard who bore thesurname Snow, the name that custom decreed be given to all those in the northunlucky enough to be born with no name of their own.

布兰看到父亲的脸色转变，其他人则交换眼神，就在那一刻，他全身心地爱着琼恩。虽然他只有七岁，布兰仍很清楚自己的私生子哥哥这样做所代表的意义：他是把自己排除在父亲的子嗣之外，才会刚好凑成数的。他把两个女孩算了进去，甚至连襁褓中的小瑞肯也有分，却独独没有算冠着雪诺这个私生子姓氏的自己。雪诺这个姓氏是专门给那些在北方出生，却不幸没有父亲的人用的。

Their father understoodas well. “You want no pup for yourself, Jon?” he asked softly.

父亲也明白这点。“琼恩，你自己不想要小狼么？”他轻声问。

“The direwolf graces thebanners of House Stark,” Jon pointed out. “I am no Stark, Father.”

“冰原狼是史塔克家族的纹章，”琼恩指出，“我并非史塔克家族的一员，父亲。”

Their lord fatherregarded Jon thoughtfully. Robb rushed into the silence he left. “I will nursehim myself, Father,” he promised. “I will soak a towel with warm milk, and givehim suck from that.”

父亲若有所思地看了琼恩一眼，罗柏急切地打破沉默，“父亲，我会亲自喂养小狼。”他保证，“我会用浸过温牛奶的湿毛巾喂它。”

“Me too!” Bran echoed.

“我也会！”布兰连忙跟进。

The lord weighed hissons long and carefully with his eyes. “Easy to say, and harder to do. I willnot have you wasting the servants’ time with this. If you want these pups, youwill feed them yourselves. Is that understood?”

公爵意味深长地审视儿子，“说起来简单，真要做可不容易。我不会让你们占用仆人的时间。假如你们真要养这群小狼，就得一切自己来，知道么？”

Bran nodded eagerly. Thepup squirmed in his grasp, licked at his face with a warm tongue.

布兰热切地连连点头，小狼蜷缩在他怀里，伸出温热的舌头舔舔他的脸颊。

“You must train them aswell,” their father said. “You must train them. The kennelmaster will havenothing to do with these monsters, I promise you that. And the gods help you ifyou neglect them, or brutalize them, or train them badly. These are not dogs tobeg for treats and slink off at a kick. A direwolf will rip a man’s arm off hisshoulder as easily as a dog will kill a rat. Are you sure you want this?”

“你们还得亲自训练它们，”父亲又道：“我保证驯兽长和这些怪物将毫无干系。倘若你们把它们练得残忍成性，或有什么闪失，那么祈祷天上诸神保佑吧。这些可不是讨好卖乖的狗，也不是随便踢一脚就能打发的角色。冰原狼要扯下胳膊就和狗杀老鼠一样简单，你们确定要养么？”

“Yes, Father,” Bransaid.

“是的，父亲大人。”布兰答道。

“Yes,” Robb agreed.

“嗯。”罗柏同意。

“The pups may dieanyway, despite all you do.”

“即使你们费尽苦心，小狼还是有夭折的可能”。

“They won’t die,” Robbsaid. “We won’t let them die.”

“不会，”罗柏说：“我们不会让它们死掉。”

“Keep them, then. Jory,Desmond, gather up the other pups. It’s time we were back to Winterfell.”

“那就留着它们罢。乔里，戴斯蒙，把其他几只小狼带上，我们该回临冬城了。”

It was not until theywere mounted and on their way that Bran allowed himself to taste the sweet airof victory. By then, his pup was snuggled inside his leathers, warm againsthim, safe for the long ride home. Bran was wondering what to name him.

一直到他们骑马踏上归途，布兰方才允许自己享受胜利的喜悦。他的小狼此刻正安全地藏靠在他的皮护甲里，他不禁思索该为它取个什么名字才好。

Halfway across thebridge, Jon pulled up suddenly.

走到桥中央，琼恩突然勒住马缰。

“What is it, Jon?” theirlord father asked.

“琼恩，怎么了？”公爵父亲问。

“Can’t you hear it?”

“你们没听到么？”

Bran could hear the windin the trees, the clatter of their hooves on the ironwood planks, thewhimpering of his hungry pup, but Jon was listening to something else.

布兰只听见林间风声和哒哒马蹄，以及怀间嗷嗷待哺的小狼，但琼恩正侧耳倾听别的事物。

“There,” Jon said. Heswung his horse around and galloped back across the bridge. They watched himdismount where the direwolf lay dead in the snow, watched him kneel. A momentlater he was riding back to them, smiling.

“在那里。”琼恩道，他掉转马头，急驰过桥，大家看着他在母狼尸体旁下马，屈膝跪下，一会儿过后又骑马归来，满面笑容。

“He must have crawledaway from the others,” Jon said.

“这只一定是先爬开了。”琼恩说。

“Or been driven away,”their father said, looking at the sixth pup. His fur was white, where the restof the litter was grey. His eyes were as red as the blood of the ragged man whohad died that morning. Bran thought it curious that this pup alone would haveopened his eyes while the others were still blind.

“或是被赶开的。”他们的父亲看着第六只小狼说。它毛色净白，其他的小狼则多半灰黑，它的眼瞳红如早上死囚的鲜血。布兰很觉好奇，不知为何其他小狼连眼睛都还没睁开，惟独它双目炯炯有神。

“An albino,” TheonGreyjoy said with wry amusement. “This one will die even faster than theothers.”

“白子，”席恩·葛雷乔伊话里有种兴味十足的讥讽，“只怕这只会死得最快。”

Jon Snow gave hisfather’s ward a long, chilling look. “I think not, Greyjoy,” he said. “This onebelongs to me.”

琼恩·雪诺给了他父亲的养子一个意味深长的冷绝凝视，“葛雷乔伊，我可不这么认为。”他答道，“因为这是我的狼。”

① 传说“森林之子”（Children

of the Forest）早在“先民”（First

Men）渡过狭海而来 以前便已存在。他们信仰树林溪涧等自然间的无名神祗，后来先民也加入了这个信仰。

② 养子（ward）原意指年幼时到其他贵族家生活，直到成年才回家的贵族子弟。有可能是为了增进两家友好关系，如艾德和劳勃年幼时曾到琼恩·艾林家做养子，或是战败将儿子送到战胜者家里当人质，例如席恩。中国古代称之为“质子”，为避免读者觉得怪异，本书中一律用“养子”代之。

③ 安达尔人是继先民之后来到维斯特洛大陆的入侵者，他们带来了七神的信仰。