然而这不过是故事。自己吓自己。没有什么夜间出没的妖怪，鲁温学士说，即使真有那样的东西，也早已从世界上消失，好比巨人和龙。它不存在了，布兰心想。

That was only a story, though. He was just scaring himself. There was no thing that comes in the night, Maester Luwin had said so. If there had ever been such a thing, it was gone from the world now, like giants and dragons. It’s nothing, Bran thought.

然而声音越来越响。

But the sounds were louder now.

它是从井里传来的，他陡然意识到。这让他怕得厉害。有什么东西正从地底上来，从黑暗中出现。阿多唤醒了它。用那块愚蠢的石片唤醒了它，现在它上来了。阿多的鼾声和自己的心跳使他很难听得清楚。是血从斧子上滴落的声音吗？有没有幽灵锁链遥远微弱的撞击呢？布兰更仔细地听。脚步声。绝对是脚步声，一下比一下响，但他无法分辨有多少下。声音在井里回荡，没有旁的滴水或锁链声，但有……高亢尖细的呜咽，沉重压抑的呼吸，仿佛一个人处在痛苦之中。脚步声最响。脚步声越来越近。

It’s coming from the well, he realized. That made him even more afraid. Something was coming up from under the ground, coming up out of the dark. Hodor woke it up. He woke it up with that stupid piece of slate, and now it’s coming. It was hard to hear over Hodor’s snores and the thumping of his own heart. Was that the sound blood made dripping from an axe? Or was it the faint, far-off rattling of ghostly chains? Bran listened harder. Footsteps. It was definitely footsteps, each one a little louder than the one before. He couldn’t tell how many, though. The well made the sounds echo. He didn’t hear any dripping, or chains either, but there was something else … a high thin whimpering sound, like someone in pain, and heavy muffled breathing. But the footsteps were loudest. The footsteps were coming closer.

布兰吓得都不敢喊。火堆已烧成若干微弱的余烬，而朋友们睡得香甜。他几乎要溜出自己的身躯，进入狼体内，但夏天远在数里之外，而他不能把朋友们无助地丢在黑暗中，面对井里出来的莫名东西。我告诉过他们不要来这儿，他悲哀地想，我告诉过他们这儿有鬼魂。我告诉过他们，应该去黑城堡。

Bran was too frightened to shout. The fire had burned down to a few faint embers and his friends were all asleep. He almost slipped his skin and reached out for his wolf, but Summer might be miles away. He couldn’t leave his friends helpless in the dark to face whatever was coming up out of the well. I told them not to come here, he thought miserably. I told them there were ghosts. I told them that we should go to Castle Black.

那脚步声很是沉重，缓慢迟滞，摩擦着石头。它一定十分巨大。老奶妈的故事中，“疯斧”是大个子，而黑夜里出没的妖怪更加硕大。从前在临冬城，珊莎告诉他，如果躲进被子底下，黑暗中的恶魔就找不到人。现在他差点这么做，随即想起自己是个王子，几乎就要长大成人了。

The footfalls sounded heavy to Bran, slow, ponderous, scraping against the stone. It must be huge. Mad Axe had been a big man in Old Nan’s story, and the thing that came in the night had been monstrous. Back in Winterfell, Sansa had told him that the demons of the dark couldn’t touch him if he hid beneath his blanket. He almost did that now, before he remembered that he was a prince, and almost a man grown.

布兰在地板上蠕动，拖动那双无力的腿，直至碰到梅拉。她立刻醒转。没有谁醒得有梅拉·黎德那样快，没有谁像她这般高度警觉。布兰将一根手指按到嘴上，示意别说话。她立刻听见了声音，他可以从她脸上看出来。回荡的脚步，微弱的呜咽，沉重的呼吸。

Bran wriggled across the floor, dragging his dead legs behind him until he could reach out and touch Meera on the foot. She woke at once. He had never known anyone to wake as quick as Meera Reed, or to be so alert so fast. Bran pressed a finger to his mouth so she’d know not to speak. She heard the sound at once, he could see that on her face; the echoing footfalls, the faint whimpering, the heavy breathing.

梅拉一声不吭地拿起武器，右手抓三叉捕蛙矛，收拢的索网悬于左手，光脚静悄悄地走向那口井。玖健仍在熟睡，对周遭变故毫无知觉，而阿多边呻吟，边翻身，显得很不踏实。她在阴影之中移动，绕开月光，像猫一般安静。布兰盯着她，发现连自己都很难察觉矛上反射的微弱闪光。我不能让她独自与妖怪搏斗，他心想。夏天在远处，但是……

Meera rose to her feet without a word and reclaimed her weapons. With her three-pronged frog spear in her right hand and the folds of her net dangling from her left, she slipped barefoot toward the well. Jojen dozed on, oblivious, while Hodor muttered and thrashed in restless sleep. She kept to the shadows as she moved, stepped around the shaft of moonlight as quiet as a cat. Bran was watching her all the while, and even he could barely see the faint sheen of her spear. I can’t let her fight the thing alone, he thought. Summer was far away, but …

……他溜出自己的皮，进入阿多体内。

… he slipped his skin, and reached for Hodor.

跟进入夏天不同。进入夏天太容易，现在布兰连想都不用想。这更困难，就像往右脚套左脚穿的鞋，怎么也不合适，而且这鞋很害怕，这鞋不明白怎么回事，拼命要把脚推开。他尝到阿多嗓子里污物的味道，几乎厌恶地逃离。但他不能，反而挣扎着坐起，双腿收至身下——一双壮硕的腿——然后站立。我能站了。他跨出一步。我能走了。感觉如此怪异，差点当即摔倒。他看到自己就躺在冰冷的石头地板上，一个小小的残疾，然而“他”现在不是残废。他抓起阿多的长剑。井里的呼吸声已变得跟铁匠的风箱一样响。

It was not like sliding into Summer. That was so easy now that Bran hardly thought about it. This was harder, like trying to pull a left boot on your right foot. It fit all wrong, and the boot was scared too, the boot didn’t know what was happening, the boot was pushing the foot away. He tasted vomit in the back of Hodor’s throat, and that was almost enough to make him flee. Instead he squirmed and shoved, sat up, gathered his legs under him—his huge strong legs—and rose. I’m standing. He took a step. I’m walking. It was such a strange feeling that he almost fell. He could see himself on the cold stone floor, a little broken thing, but he wasn’t broken now. He grabbed Hodor’s longsword. The breathing was as loud as a blacksmith’s bellows.

突然一声号哭，如同匕首穿透全身。黑暗中，巨大的影子钻上来，歪歪扭扭地撞进月光之中，恐惧从布兰心中油然升起，如此强烈，以至于他发现自己又躺回地板，而阿多吼着“阿多，阿多，阿多”，就像当日湖中塔上，雷电闪耀之时。但那黑夜中出没的妖怪也跟着惨叫，在梅拉的索网内狂乱翻腾。布兰看到长矛从黑暗中猛刺而去，那东西踉踉跄跄地跌倒，不断挣扎。号哭仍从井内传来，甚至更响了。地上那团黑乎乎的东西一边翻滚抵抗，一边尖叫，“不，不。不要。求求你。不要……”

From the well came a wail, a piercing creech that went through him like a knife. A huge black shape heaved itself up into the darkness and lurched toward the moonlight, and the fear rose up in Bran so thick that before he could even think of drawing Hodor’s sword the way he’d meant to, he found himself back on the floor again with Hodor roaring “Hodor hodor HODOR,” the way he had in the lake tower whenever the lightning flashed. But the thing that came in the night was screaming too, and thrashing wildly in the folds of Meera’s net. Bran saw her spear dart out of the darkness to snap at it, and the thing staggered and fell, struggling with the net. The wailing was still coming from the well, even louder now. On the floor the black thing flopped and fought, screeching, “No, no, don’t, please, DON’T …”

梅拉站在上方，银色的月光在捕蛙矛尖端闪烁。“你是谁？”她提问。

Meera stood over him, the moonlight shining silver off the prongs of her frog spear. “Who are you?” she demanded.

“我是山姆，”黑乎乎的东西抽泣着，“山姆，山姆，我是山姆，放我出来，你刺疼我了……”他在月光下打滚，在梅拉那张纠结的索网中瞎扑腾，而阿多仍在喊，“阿多，阿多，阿多。”

“I’m SAM,” the black thing sobbed. “Sam, Sam, I’m Sam, let me out, you stabbed me …” He rolled through the puddle of moonlight, flailing and flopping in the tangles of Meera’s net. Hodor was still shouting, “Hodor hodor hodor.”

这时玖健把枝条加入火堆之中，吹气使得焰苗重新噼噼啪啪窜起来。有了光线，布兰看到井边是个苍白的女孩，面庞削瘦，全身裹在兽皮里，披一件大黑斗篷，正试图让怀中的婴儿停止号哭。地上的东西隔网摸匕首，可惜孔眼太小，做不到。他不是妖怪，也不是浑身滴血的“疯斧”，只不过是个大胖子，穿黑色羊毛布衣服，外加黑毛皮、黑皮革、黑锁甲。“他是个黑衣弟兄，”布兰道，“梅拉，他来自守夜人军团。”

It was Jojen who fed the sticks to the fire and blew on them until the flames leapt up crackling. Then there was light, and Bran saw the pale thin-faced girl by the lip of the well, all bundled up in furs and skins beneath an enormous black cloak, trying to shush the screaming baby in her arms. The thing on the floor was pushing an arm through the net to reach his knife, but the loops wouldn’t let him. He wasn’t any monster beast, or even Mad Axe drenched in gore; only a big fat man dressed up in black wool, black fur, black leather, and black mail. “He’s a black brother,” said Bran. “Meera, he’s from the Night’s Watch.”

“阿多？”阿多蹲下身子，窥视网中人。“阿多，”他又大声说。

“Hodor?” Hodor squatted down on his haunches to peer at the man in the net. “Hodor,” he said again, hooting.

“黑衣弟兄，对。”胖子仍像风箱一样喘气。“我是守夜人的一员。”他的下巴缠了根网线，迫使他抬头，其他的线则深深嵌入脸颊。“我是乌鸦，求求你，把我放出来。”

“The Night’s Watch, yes.” The fat man was still breathing like a bellows. “I’m a brother of the Watch.” He had one cord under his chins, forcing his head up, and others digging deep into his cheeks. “I’m a crow, please. Let me out of this.”

布兰突然变得不大确定。“你是三眼乌鸦吗？”他不可能是三眼乌鸦。

Bran was suddenly uncertain. “Are you the three-eyed crow?” He can’t be the three-eyed crow.

“我想不是。”胖子转动眼珠，只有两颗眼珠。“我是山姆。山姆威尔·塔利。放我出来，它弄疼我了。”他又开始挣扎。

“I don’t think so.” The fat man rolled his eyes, but there were only two of them. “I’m only Sam. Samwell Tarly. Let me out, it’s hurting me.” He began to struggle again.

梅拉厌恶地哼了一声。“别乱动，如果扯坏我的网，就把你扔回井里去。躺着别动，我替你解开。”

Meera made a disgusted sound. “Stop flopping around. If you tear my net I’ll throw you back down the well. Just lie still and I’ll untangle you.”

“你是谁？”玖健问那抱婴儿的女孩。

“Who are you?” Jojen asked the girl with the baby.

“吉莉，”她说，“用紫罗兰花取的名。他是山姆。我们没想吓唬人。”她摇晃婴儿，柔声低语，终于制止了号哭。

“Gilly,” she said. “For the gillyflower. He’s Sam. We never meant to scare you.” She rocked her baby and murmured at it, and finally it stopped crying.

梅拉为肥胖的黑衣弟兄解索网。玖健走到井边，向下窥视。“你们从哪儿来的？”

Meera was untangling the fat brother. Jojen went to the well and peered down. “Where did you come from?”

“从卡斯特堡垒，”女孩道，“你是那个人吗？”

“From Craster’s,” the girl said. “Are you the one?”

玖健转身看她。“那个人？”

Jojen turned to look at her. “The one?”

“他说山姆不是那个人，”她解释，“有另一个。他被派来寻找那个人。”

“He said that Sam wasn’t the one,” she explained. “There was someone else, he said. The one he was sent to find.”

“谁说的？”布兰问。

“Who said?” Bran demanded.

“冷手。”吉莉轻轻回答。

“Coldhands,” Gilly answered softly.

梅拉掀开索网一端，胖子坐起来。他在颤抖，布兰发现，而且仍然拼命喘气。“他说这儿会有人，”他长吁一口气，“城堡里有人。但我不知你们就在楼梯顶上，不知你们会扔出一张网，还戳我肚子。”他用戴黑手套的手摸摸腹部。“有没有流血？我看不见。”

Meera peeled back one end of her net, and the fat man managed to sit up. He was shaking, Bran saw, and still struggling to catch his breath. “He said there would be people,” he huffed. “People in the castle. I didn’t know you’d be right at the top of the steps, though. I didn’t know you’d throw a net on me or stab me in the stomach.” He touched his belly with a black-gloved hand. “Am I bleeding? I can’t see.”

“没那么严重，只想把你捅倒而已，”梅拉说。“来，让我看看。”她单膝跪下，触摸他的肚脐周围。“你穿着锁甲耶。根本连皮都没破。”

“It was just a poke to get you off your feet,” said Meera. “Here, let me have a look.” She went to one knee, and felt around his navel. “You’re wearing mail. I never got near your skin.”

“啊，但还是很疼，”山姆抱怨。

“Well, it hurt all the same,” Sam complained.

“你真的是守夜人的弟兄？”

“Are you really a brother of the Night’s Watch?” Bran asked.

胖子点点头，下巴微微颤动。他的皮肤看起来苍白而松弛。“我只是个事务员，负责照看莫尔蒙总司令的乌鸦。”片刻之间，他似乎快要哭出来。“但我在先民拳峰把它们弄丢了，都是我的错。我还迷了路，连长城都找不到。它有一百里格长，七百尺高，我居然找不到！”

The fat man’s chins jiggled when he nodded. His skin looked pale and saggy. “Only a steward. I took care of Lord Mormont’s ravens.” For a moment he looked like he was going to cry. “I lost them at the Fist, though. It was my fault. I got us lost too. I couldn’t even find the Wall. It’s a hundred leagues long and seven hundred feet high and I couldn’t find it!”

“你已经找到了，”梅拉说。“把屁股抬起来，我要收网。”

“Well, you’ve found it now,” said Meera. “Lift your rump off the ground, I want my net back.”

“你怎么穿过长城的？”山姆挣扎起身时，玖健问。“这口井是否通往某条地下河，然后可以过来？可你身上一点也不湿……”

“How did you get through the Wall?” Jojen demanded as Sam struggled to his feet. “Does the well lead to an underground river, is that where you came from? You’re not even wet …”

“这里有道门，”胖子山姆说，“一道暗门，跟长城本身一样古老，被称为‘黑门’。”

“There’s a gate,” said fat Sam. “A hidden gate, as old as the Wall itself. The Black Gate, he called it.”

黎德姐弟交换一个眼神。“我们能在井底找到这道门吗？”玖健问。

The Reeds exchanged a look. “We’ll find this gate at the bottom of the well?” asked Jojen.

山姆摇摇头。“你们不行。得由我带路。”

Sam shook his head. “You won’t. I have to take you.”

“为什么？”梅拉想知道，“如果确实有道门……”

“Why?” Meera demanded. “If there’s a gate …”

“你们找不到。即使找到了，它也不会开。不会为你们而开。这乃是黑门。”山姆揪揪褪色的黑色羊毛布衣袖。“他说过，只有守夜人的汉子能够打开，需要一个发下誓言的弟兄。”

“You won’t find it. If you did it wouldn’t open. Not for you. It’s the Black Gate.” Sam plucked at the faded black wool of his sleeve. “Only a man of the Night’s Watch can open it, he said. A Sworn Brother who has said his words.”

“他，”玖健皱起眉头，“这个……冷手？”

“He said.” Jojen frowned. “This … Coldhands?”

“那并非他的真名，”吉莉边说，边摇晃孩子，“只是我们——山姆和我——为他取的外号。他的手冷得像冰，但他和那些乌鸦从死人手里把我们拯救出来，还让我们骑在麇鹿背上，来到这里。”

“That wasn’t his true name,” said Gilly, rocking. “We only called him that, Sam and me. His hands were cold as ice, but he saved us from the dead men, him and his ravens, and he brought us here on his elk.”

“麇鹿？”布兰惊讶不已。

“His elk?” said Bran, wonderstruck.

“麇鹿？”梅拉难以置信。

“His elk?” said Meera, startled.

“乌鸦？”玖健说。

“His ravens?” said Jojen.

“阿多？”阿多道。

“Hodor?” said Hodor.

“他是绿色的吗？”布兰想知道，“有没有长角呢？”

“Was he green?” Bran wanted to know. “Did he have antlers?”

胖子也困惑，“你是指麇鹿？”

The fat man was confused. “The elk?”

“冷手啦，”布兰不耐烦地说，“绿人骑麇鹿，老奶妈说过，他们甚至会长角。”

“Coldhands,” said Bran impatiently. “The green men ride on elks, Old Nan used to say. Sometimes they have antlers too.”

“他不是绿人。他穿黑衣，就像个守夜人弟兄，但皮肤同尸鬼一样苍白，而双手冷如玄冰。一开始我很害怕，然而尸鬼有蓝色的眼睛，也不会说话，或许根本忘记该怎样说话。可他不同。”胖子转向玖健。“他等在那里呢。我们走吧。你们有更暖和的东西穿吗？黑门很冷，长城另一边更冷。你们——”

“He wasn’t a green man. He wore blacks, like a brother of the Watch, but he was pale as a wight, with hands so cold that at first I was afraid. The wights have blue eyes, though, and they don’t have tongues, or they’ve forgotten how to use them.” The fat man turned to Jojen. “He’ll be waiting. We should go. Do you have anything warmer to wear? The Black Gate is cold, and the other side of the Wall is even colder. You—”

“他何不与你一同过来？”梅拉朝吉莉和婴儿比划了一下。“他俩都能过来，为何他没有呢？你为什么不带他过这道黑门？”

“Why didn’t he come with you?” Meera gestured toward Gilly and her babe. “They came with you, why not him? Why didn’t you bring him through this Black Gate too?”

“他……他不能。”

“He … he can’t.”

“为什么不能？”

“Why not?”

“因为长城。据他说，长城不仅是冰和石头，其中编织了魔法……古老而强大的魔法。他无法穿越长城。”

“The Wall. The Wall is more than just ice and stone, he said. There are spells woven into it … old ones, and strong. He cannot pass beyond the Wall.”

城堡厨房突然变得十分宁静。布兰可以听见火焰轻微的噼啪声，夜风吹动树叶，伸向月亮的细瘦鱼梁木吱吱嘎嘎。对面为怪兽、巨人族和食尸鬼的住所，他想起老奶妈的话，但只要长城牢牢矗立，它们就都过不来。快睡吧，我的小布兰登，宝贝儿。你无需害怕。这边没有怪兽。

It grew very quiet in the castle kitchen then. Bran could hear the soft crackle of the flames, the wind stirring the leaves in the night, the creak of the skinny weirwood reaching for the moon. Beyond the gates the monsters live, and the giants and the ghouls, he remembered Old Nan saying, but they cannot pass so long as the Wall stands strong. So go to sleep, my little Brandon, my baby boy. You needn’t fear. There are no monsters here.

“我不是你要带过去的人，”玖健·黎德告诉胖子山姆，对方的黑衣松松垮垮，沾满污渍。“他才是。”

“I am not the one you were told to bring,” Jojen Reed told fat Sam in his stained and baggy blacks. “He is.”

“哦。”山姆低头，不大确定地看着他，也许这时才意识到布兰是残废。“我不……不够强壮，背不动你，我……”

“Oh.” Sam looked down at him uncertainly. It might have been just then that he realized Bran was crippled. “I don’t … I’m not strong enough to carry you, I …”

“阿多可以背我。”布兰指指篮子。“我坐里面，在他背上。”

“Hodor can carry me.” Bran pointed at his basket. “I ride in that, up on his back.”

山姆盯着他瞧，“你是琼恩·雪诺的弟弟。那个坠楼的……”

Sam was staring at him. “You’re Jon Snow’s brother. The one who fell …”

“不，”玖健道，“那孩子死了。”

“No,” said Jojen. “That boy is dead.”

“别说出去，”布兰警告，“拜托。”

“Don’t tell,” Bran warned. “Please.”

山姆疑惑了片刻，但最后道，“我……我可以守秘。吉莉也可以。”他望向女孩，她点点头。“琼恩……琼恩也是我兄弟，是我迄今为止最好的朋友，但他跟断掌科林去霜雪之牙侦察，一直没回来。我们在先民拳峰等他，然……然后……”

Sam looked confused for a moment, but finally he said, “I … I can keep a secret. Gilly too.” When he looked at her, the girl nodded. “Jon … Jon was my brother too. He was the best friend I ever had, but he went off with Qhorin Halfhand to scout the Frostfangs and never came back. We were waiting for him on the Fist when … when …”

“琼恩就在附近，”布兰说，“夏天看到他了。他跟一群野人在一起，但他们杀了一个人，于是琼恩夺马逃走。我敢打赌，他回黑城堡去了。”

“Jon’s here,” Bran said. “Summer saw him. He was with some wildlings, but they killed a man and Jon took his horse and escaped. I bet he went to Castle Black.”

山姆瞪大眼睛望向梅拉。“你肯定那是琼恩？你看到他了？”

Sam turned big eyes on Meera. “You’re certain it was Jon? You saw him?”

“我是梅拉，”梅拉轻笑，“夏天是……”

“I’m Meera,” Meera said with a smile. “Summer is …”

一个阴影脱离了残破的拱项，穿过月光，跳将下来。即使一条腿受伤，那只冰原狼落地时仍然轻盈犹如飘雪。女孩吉莉发出一声惊呼，牢牢抱住婴儿，抱得如此之紧，以至于孩子又号哭起来。

A shadow detached itself from the broken dome above and leapt down through the moonlight. Even with his injured leg, the wolf landed as light and quiet as a snowfall. The girl Gilly made a frightened sound and clutched her babe so hard against her that it began to cry again.

“他不会伤害你，”布兰说。“他才是夏天。”

“He won’t hurt you,” Bran said. “That’s Summer.”

“琼恩说你们都有狼，”山姆摘下手套，“我认识白灵。”他伸出颤抖的手，指头又白又软，胖得像小香肠。夏天走近嗅了嗅，然后舔舔那只手。

“Jon said you all had wolves.” Sam pulled off a glove. “I know Ghost.” He held out a shaky hand, the fingers white and soft and fat as little sausages. Summer padded closer, sniffed them, and gave the hand a lick.

这时布兰下定决心。“我们跟你走。”

That was when Bran made up his mind. “We’ll go with you.”

“你们所有人？”山姆似乎很吃惊。

“All of you?” Sam seemed surprised by that.

梅拉揉揉布兰的头发。“他是我们的王子。”

Meera ruffled Bran’s hair. “He’s our prince.”

夏天绕着井转圈，嗅来嗅去，然后停在第一格阶梯上，回头望向布兰。他也想去。

Summer circled the well, sniffing. He paused by the top step and looked back at Bran. He wants to go.

“如果我把吉莉留在这儿，到回来之前，她会安全吗？”山姆询问。

“Will Gilly be safe if I leave her here till I come back?” Sam asked them.

“应该没问题，”梅拉说，“她可以享用我们的火堆。”

“She should be,” said Meera. “She’s welcome to our fire.”

玖健确认，“城堡空的，没人。”

Jojen said, “The castle is empty.”

吉莉环顾四周。“卡斯特跟我们讲过城堡，但我不晓得它们有这么大。”

Gilly looked around. “Craster used to tell us tales of castles, but I never knew they’d be so big.”

这不过是厨房。布兰不知她看到临冬城会怎么想，如果真能看到的话。

It’s only the kitchens. Bran wondered what she’d think when she saw Winterfell, if she ever did.

他们花了点时间收拾，然后把布兰放进阿多背上的柳条篮里。等准备好出发时，吉莉已坐在火堆旁给婴儿喂奶。“你要回来找我哦，”她告诉山姆。

It took them a few minutes to gather their things and hoist Bran into his wicker seat on Hodor’s back. By the time they were ready to go, Gilly sat nursing her babe by the fire. “You’ll come back for me,” she said to Sam.

“我会尽快回来，”他承诺，“然后我们去暖和的地方。”布兰听到这话，不禁怀疑自己在做什么。我还能再去暖和的地方吗？

“As soon as I can,” he promised, “then we’ll go somewhere warm.” When he heard that, part of Bran wondered what he was doing. Will I ever go someplace warm again?

“我认识路，我走前面，”山姆在顶上犹豫不决，“实在太多阶梯了。”他叹口气，开始往下走。玖健紧跟在后，接着是夏天，然后是背布兰的阿多。梅拉殿后，手中拿着捕蛙矛和索网。

“I’ll go first, I know the way.” Sam hesitated at the top. “There’s just so many steps,” he sighed, before he started down. Jojen followed, then Summer, then Hodor with Bran riding on his back. Meera took the rear, with her spear and net in hand.

这是一段很长的路。井的顶端沐浴在月光中，但每转一圈它就变得更加狭小，更加黯淡。他们的脚步在潮湿的石头之间回荡，水声也越来越响。“我们是不是该点火炬？”玖健问。

It was a long way down. The top of the well was bathed in moonlight, but it grew smaller and dimmer every time they went around. Their footsteps echoed off the damp stones, and the water sounds grew louder. “Should we have brought torches?” Jojen asked.

“不用，眼睛会调节适应，”山姆说。“一只手扶墙，就不会掉下去。”

“Your eyes will adjust,” said Sam. “Keep one hand on the wall and you won’t fall.”

每转一圈，井变得更加黑暗，更加凄冷。当布兰终于抬头，望向上方时，井口已不到半个月亮大。“阿多，”阿多低声说，“阿多阿多阿多阿多阿多阿多，”井也轻声回应，“阿多阿多阿多阿多阿多阿多。”水声近了，但布兰向下窥探，只看到黑暗。

The well grew darker and colder with every turn. When Bran finally lifted his head around to look back up the shaft, the top of the well was no bigger than a half-moon. “Hodor,” Hodor whispered, “Hodorhodorhodorhodorhodorhodor,” the well whispered back. The water sounds were close, but when Bran peered down he saw only blackness.

又转了一两圈，山姆突然停下。此时他离布兰和阿多四分之一圆周，在下方约六尺处，然而布兰几乎看不见人。但他看得见那道门，山姆口中的“黑门”。它根本不是黑的。

A turn or two later Sam stopped suddenly. He was a quarter of the way around the well from Bran and Hodor and six feet farther down, yet Bran could barely see him. He could see the door, though. The Black Gate, Sam had called it, but it wasn’t black at all.

白色的鱼梁木，上面有一张脸。

It was white weirwood, and there was a face on it.

木头散发出光芒，好似牛奶与月光的混合，如此微弱，除开门本身，几乎不能照亮任何东西，连站在它跟前的山姆也是漆黑一团。那张脸苍白古老，满是褶皱。死气沉沉。嘴闭紧，眼也闭紧，脸颊塌陷，额头枯瘪，下巴松弛。若一个人活上一千岁都死不了，只是越来越老，那么他的脸最后就会像这个样。

A glow came from the wood, like milk and moonlight, so faint it scarcely seemed to touch anything beyond the door itself, not even Sam standing right before it. The face was old and pale, wrinkled and shrunken. It looks dead. Its mouth was closed, and its eyes; its cheeks were sunken, its brow withered, its chin sagging. If a man could live for a thousand years and never die but just grow older, his face might come to look like that.

门睁开眼睛。

The door opened its eyes.

白色的眼睛，看不见东西。“你是谁？”门问，井轻声呼应，“谁——谁——谁——谁——谁——谁——谁？”

They were white too, and blind. “Who are you?” the door asked, and the well whispered, “Who-who-who-who-who-who-who.”

“我是黑暗中的利剑，”山姆威尔·塔利道，“长城上的守卫。抵御寒冷的烈焰，破晓时分的光线，唤醒眠者的号角，守护王国的坚盾。”

“I am the sword in the darkness,” Samwell Tarly said. “I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers. I am the shield that guards the realms of men.”

“去吧，”那扇门说。它的嘴唇张开，越张越大，越张越大，直到最后，除了一圈褶皱包围的大嘴，什么也没剩下。山姆让到一边，挥手示意玖健通过。夏天跟在后面，边嗅边走，然后轮到布兰。阿多弯下腰，但弯得不够低，结果门的上沿轻轻擦过布兰头顶，一滴水落在脸上，沿着鼻子缓缓流淌。它带有奇特的温热，咸如泪水。

“Then pass,” the door said. Its lips opened, wide and wider and wider still, until nothing at all remained but a great gaping mouth in a ring of wrinkles. Sam stepped aside and waved Jojen through ahead of him. Summer followed, sniffing as he went, and then it was Bran’s turn. Hodor ducked, but not low enough. The door’s upper lip brushed softly against the top of Bran’s head, and a drop of water fell on him and ran slowly down his nose. It was strangely warm, and salty as a tear.