Chapter 第五十九章 被抛弃的骑士（巴利斯坦二）
THE DISCARDED KNIGHT
“伟大的希兹达尔·佐·洛拉克陛下，高贵的第十四代坎达克、弥林之王，吉斯神的化身、安达尔及先民之王、斯卡扎丹河之主、龙之母，驾到，全体行礼！”传礼官吼道。他的声音在大理石地面和石柱间回响。
All kneel for His Magnificence Hizdahr zo Loraq, Fourteenth of That Noble Name, King of Meereen, Scion of Ghis, Octarch of the Old Empire, Master of the Skahazadhan, Consort to Dragons and Blood of the Harpy,” roared the herald. His voice echoed off the marble floor and rang amongst the pillars.
巴利斯坦·赛尔弥爵士收剑回鞘单手挽袍。国王面前除守卫外禁止刀械。尽管已被解职，但似乎他仍被默认为守卫之一。起码，他的剑还在。
Ser Barristan Selmy slipped a hand beneath the fold of his cloak and loosened his sword in its scabbard. No blades were allowed in the presence of the king save those of his protectors. It seemed as though he still counted amongst that number despite his dismissal. No one had tried to take his sword, at least.
丹妮莉丝·坦格利安喜欢坐在锃亮的乌檀木长椅上上朝，平和又简单，铺满巴利斯坦认为用来便于舒适的软垫。斯卡哈兹王却把长椅换成两把镀金的高大木王座，王座背后被雕成龙形。陛下坐在右手边的王座，头戴黄金宝冠，手持宝石权杖。另一个王座却空空如也。
Daenerys Targaryen had preferred to hold court from a bench of polished ebony, smooth and simple, covered with the cushions that Ser Barristan had found to make her more comfortable. King Hizdahr had replaced the bench with two imposing thrones of gilded wood, their tall backs carved into the shape of dragons. The king seated himself in the right-hand throne with a golden crown upon his head and a jeweled sceptre in one pale hand. The second throne remained vacant.
那个更重要，巴利斯坦想着，在精巧的龙椅也取代不了真龙。
The important throne, thought Ser Barristan. No dragon chair can replace a dragon no matter how elaborately it’s carved.
王座右侧站着巨人戈哈（Goghor），一个满脸伤疤的残暴的庞然大物。左侧是斑点猫，一袭豹皮披肩。他们之后是碎骨者贝拉乔和冷眼卡拉兹。都是些老道的杀手，赛尔弥总结道，但找出隐藏的杀手并行动，与在竞技场下迎击伴着号角与战鼓而来袭的敌人是两码事。
To the right of the twin thrones stood Goghor the Giant, a huge hulk of a man with a brutal, scarred face. To the left was the Spotted Cat, a leopard skin flung over one shoulder. Back of them were Belaquo Bonebreaker and the cold-eyed Khrazz. Seasoned killers all, thought Selmy, but it is one thing to face a foe in the pit when his coming is heralded by horns and drums and another to find a hidden killer before he can strike.
虽然时间还很早，但他却疲惫入骨，仿佛他奋战过一夜。岁数增长着，但睡眠却减少着。当侍从的岁月里，他一夜要睡十个钟头，却依然在步入操练场时哈欠连天。然而63岁得他却发觉，5个小时用于睡眠都绰绰有余。昨夜，他压根没有睡。他的寝室紧邻女王寝宫，本是奴隶营房。他的家具不过一张床、夜壶、衣柜，以及一把他从未坐过的椅子。在床头柜上，他放着蜡烛和战士的小雕像。虽然他不虔诚，但这雕像能让他在这异乡少点孤独，这也是他值夜岗的缘由。让我免于被滋生的怀疑所扰吧，他祈求道，赐予我力量去做正义之事。但无论是祈祷还是黎明都没有给予他信心。
The day was young and fresh, and yet he felt bone-tired, as if he’d fought all night. The older he got, the less sleep Ser Barristan seemed to need. As a squire he could sleep ten hours a night and still be yawning when he stumbled out onto the practice yard. At three-and-sixty he found that five hours a night was more than enough. Last night, he had scarce slept at all. His bedchamber was a small cell off the queen’s apartments, originally slave quarters; his furnishings consisted of a bed, a chamber pot, a wardrobe for his clothing, even a chair should he want to sit. On a bedside table he kept a beeswax candle and a small carving of the Warrior. Though he was not a pious man, the carving made him feel less alone here in this queer alien city, and it was to that he had turned in the black watches of night. Shield me from these doubts that gnaw at me, he had prayed, and give me the strength to do what is right. But neither prayer nor dawn had brought him certainty.
大厅里从未这么拥挤过，但那些确实的面孔才是巴利斯坦·赛尔弥最怀念的：弥桑黛、贝沃斯、灰虫子、阿戈和乔戈以及卡拉洛，伊莉和姬琪，达里奥·纳哈里斯。站在剃头者位置的是个带着狮面塑形胸甲的胖子他沉重的腿几乎撑破了皮带；马哈兹·莫·坎达克，国王的表亲，铜盔野兽的新指挥官，打从赛尔弥看见他的第一眼就对他产生了轻蔑的印象。在君临他就如此，媚上欺下这套他做不到，不仅出于骄傲，更出于自豪。
The hall was as crowded as the old knight had ever seen it, but it was the missing faces that Barristan Selmy noted most: Missandei, Belwas, Grey Worm, Aggo and Jhogo and Rakharo, Irri and Jhiqui, Daario Naharis. In the Shavepate’s place stood a fat man in a muscled breastplate and lion’s mask, his heavy legs poking out beneath a skirt of leather straps: Marghaz zo Loraq, the king’s cousin, new commander of the Brazen Beasts. Selmy had already formed a healthy contempt for the man. He had known his sort in King’s Landing—fawning to his superiors, harsh to his inferiors, as blind as he was boastful and too proud by half.
斯卡哈兹应该也在厅内，赛尔弥意识到，他那臭脸隐藏在面具之后。四十个铜盔野兽站在柱子间，火炬之光在他们的面具上闪耀。那个剃头者可能是他们中的任意一个。
Skahaz could be in the hall as well, Selmy realized, that ugly face of his concealed behind a mask. Two score Brazen Beasts stood between the pillars, torchlight shining off the polished brass of their masks. The Shavepate could be any one of them.
大厅内齐声响起数百个低鸣，回响在大理石板和石柱之间。这使预兆之音变得愤恼。这让赛尔弥联想到成群的大黄蜂来到前的那一只警戒蜂的轰鸣，而他在聚集的人群脸上看见了愤怒、悲哀、怀疑、恐惧。
The hall thrummed to the sound of a hundred low voices, echoing off the pillars and the marble floor. It made an ominous sound, angry. It reminded Selmy of the sound a hornets’ nest might make an instant before hornets all came boiling out. And on the faces in the crowd he saw anger, grief, suspicion, fear.
在这丑陋开始前，国王的传礼官差点来不及肃静厅堂。一个女子为她在达兹纳卡竞技场里死去的兄弟哀嚎，还有她的轿子。一个胖子揭开绷带展示依旧鲜血淋漓的烧伤。当一个戴着蓝金色托卡的家伙说着英雄的哈戈兹时，他身后的一位自由民将他推倒。花了六个铜盔野兽将他们分开带离厅堂。狐狸、老鹰、海豹、蝗虫、狮子、蟾蜍。赛尔弥不禁设想面具和面具之后的人是否有关联。他们是成天戴着一种面具，还是每天早上换一个？
Hardly had the king’s new herald called the court to order than the ugliness began. One woman began to wail about a brother who had died at Daznak’s Pit, another of the damage to her palanquin. A fat man tore off his bandages to show the court his burned arm, where the flesh was still raw and oozing. And when a man in a blue-and-gold tokar began to speak of Harghaz the Hero, a freedman behind him shoved him to the floor. It took six Brazen Beasts to pull them apart and drag them from the hall. Fox, hawk, seal, locust, lion, toad. Selmy wondered if the masks had meaning to the men who wore them. Did the same men wear the same masks every day, or did they choose new faces every morning?
“安静下”雷兹纳克·莫·雷兹卡恳求着，“行么！我将挨个解决如果…”
“Quiet!” Reznak mo Reznak was pleading. “Please! I will answer if you will only …”
“是不是真的？”一个自由民呼喊道“我们的母亲真的死了？”
“Is it true?” a freedwoman shouted. “Is our mother dead?”
“不，不，不”雷兹纳克尖叫道，“丹妮莉丝女王将带着她的威仪和权势在她认为合适的时候回归弥林。在那以前，希兹达尔陛下将——”
“No, no, no,” Reznak screeched. “Queen Daenerys will return to Meereen in her own time in all her might and majesty. Until such time, His Worship King Hizdahr shall—”
“他可不是我们的王。”一个自由民高喊道。
“He is no king of mine,” a freedman yelled.
人群开始推搡。“女王陛下没死”管家强调道，“她的血盟卫已经散布于斯卡扎丹河两岸寻觅她，将她带回给她挚爱而忠诚的王。每队都有十个精挑细选的骑手，每个骑手都有三匹备马，以备于尽快找到陛下。丹妮莉丝陛下必将回来”
Men began to shove at one another. “The queen is not dead,” the seneschal proclaimed. “Her bloodriders have been dispatched across the Skahazadhan to find Her Grace and return her to her loving lord and loyal subjects. Each has ten picked riders, and each man has three swift horses, so they may travel fast and far. Queen Daenerys shall be found.”
一个高个身着棉袍的吉斯人接着说，声调高到冰凉。希兹达尔王挪了挪王座，他面无表情，尽力做着关心的样子，但事实上却毫不在意。又一次，他的管家做出了裁决。
A tall Ghiscari in a brocade robe spoke next, in a voice as sonorous as it was cold. King Hizdahr shifted on his dragon throne, his face stony as he did his best to appear concerned but unperturbed. Once again his seneschal gave answer.
巴利斯坦无视了雷兹纳克的油滑。他的御林铁卫的岁月造就了他听而不闻的能力，尤其是当说话的专心证明话语如风。在厅堂后方，他发现了那个多恩王子和他的两个伙伴。他们不该来。昆汀没意识到他的危险。在这庭上丹妮莉丝是他唯一的的朋友。而她却不在。他怀疑他们对于所听的语言究竟能理解几分。即使是他也不完全理解这些奴隶所说的混杂的吉斯腔调，尤其当他们语速如飞的时候。
Ser Barristan let Reznak’s oily words wash over him. His years in the Kingsguard had taught him the trick of listening without hearing, especially useful when the speaker was intent on proving that words were truly wind. Back at the rear of the hall, he spied the Dornish princeling and his two companions. They should not have come. Martell does not realize his danger. Daenerys was his only friend at this court, and she is gone. He wondered how much they understood of what was being said. Even he could not always make sense of the mongrel Ghiscari tongue the slavers spoke, especially when they were speaking fast.
至少昆汀王子在专心听。简直就是他父亲的翻版。矮小精壮，长相朴实，看着是个正直的小伙，冷静、敏感、本分……却不能让那女孩一见钟情。而丹妮莉丝·坦格利安，无论名讳如何，仍旧是少女怀春，就如她天真烂漫的那面一样。作为女王她把她的子民放在首位——否则她也不会嫁给希兹达尔·佐·洛拉克——但她内心依旧渴望浪漫、激情与爱意。她想要热情似火，可多恩人却给她送来沉稳如泥。
Prince Quentyn was listening intently, at least. That one is his father’s son. Short and stocky, plain-faced, he seemed a decent lad, sober, sensible, dutiful … but not the sort to make a young girl’s heart beat faster. And Daenerys Targaryen, whatever else she might be, was still a young girl, as she herself would claim when it pleased her to play the innocent. Like all good queens she put her people first—else she would never have wed Hizdahr zo Loraq—but the girl in her still yearned for poetry, passion, and laughter. She wants fire, and Dorne sent her mud.
你可以从泥沼里提取药膏治疗热病，你也可以在泥土里植下种子生长成庄家来滋养你的孩童，泥土会滋养你，而烈火只会烧尽你。但是傻子、孩子和少女却总被热情所误导。
You could make a poultice out of mud to cool a fever. You could plant seeds in mud and grow a crop to feed your children. Mud would nourish you, where fire would only consume you, but fools and children and young girls would choose fire every time.
王子背后，杰瑞斯·德林克沃在朝克莱特·伊伦伍德低语。杰瑞斯爵士和他的王子长的迥然相反：高大精瘦标志，有着军人的威仪和政客的智慧。赛尔弥毫不怀疑再多恩，少女轻抚滑过那黄金的顺发，亲吻在那戏谑笑容的嘴唇上。如果他是王子，事情就简单多了，他不经意的想……但德林克沃特在塔看来有点可爱过头了。劣币，老骑士寻思着，他接触过这类人。
Behind the prince, Ser Gerris Drinkwater was whispering something to Yronwood. Ser Gerris was all his prince was not: tall and lean and comely, with a swordsman’s grace and a courtier’s wit. Selmy did not doubt that many a Dornish maiden had run her fingers through that sun-streaked hair and kissed that teasing smile off his lips. If this one had been the prince, things might have gone elsewise, he could not help but think … but there was something a bit too pleasant about Drinkwater for his taste. False coin, the old knight thought. He had known such men before.
他窃语了不知什么趣事，引得他的高个秃顶家伙突然笑出了声，响到足以把国王的注意也吸引了去。而他看见多恩王子，立即皱了皱眉。
Whatever he was whispering must have been amusing, for his big bald friend gave a sudden snort of laughter, loud enough so that the king himself turned his head toward the Dornishmen. When he saw the prince, Hizdahr zo Loraq frowned.
巴利斯坦对眉头感觉不妙。而国王召唤他侄子马格哈兹近前弯头低语，他预感到更糟糕了。
Ser Barristan did not like that frown. And when the king beckoned his cousin Marghaz closer, leaned down, and whispered in his ear, he liked that even less.
我对多恩没有誓言，巴利斯坦对自己说。但多恩亲王勒文·马泰尔曾是他的誓言兄弟，在那个御林铁卫里手足情谊还浓厚的岁月。在三叉河畔我辜负了勒文亲王，但今天我能帮他的侄子以赎过。那个马泰尔在赴鸿门宴，却对危险视而不见。他不断的求见，即使在丹妮莉丝在众神和大庭广众之下出走消失之后，必将激起任何丈夫的怒火，而昆汀又没了女王做挡箭牌。虽然……
I swore no oath to Dorne, Ser Barristan told himself. But Lewyn Martell had been his Sworn Brother, back in the days when the bonds between the Kingsguard still went deep. I could not help Prince Lewyn on the Trident, but I can help his nephew now. Martell was dancing in a vipers’ nest, and he did not even see the snakes. His continued presence, even after Daenerys had given herself to another before the eyes of gods and men, would provoke any husband, and Quentyn no longer had the queen to shield him from Hizdahr’s wroth. Although …
忽然一个念头窜上他的脑海。昆汀是土生土长的多恩人。诡计和毒药对他来说在熟悉不过，他叔叔勒文亲王亦是如此。他还是红毒蛇的亲戚。丹妮莉丝已经有了配偶，但一旦希兹达尔死了，她又从婚姻中解放了出来。难道剃头者是错的？谁能保证那蝗虫是给丹妮莉丝的？那是在国王自己的盒子里。如果他才是受害者？希兹达尔的死必将打破脆弱的和平。鹰身女妖之子必将寻求报复，还有渊凯人的战争。丹妮莉丝别无选择只能接受昆汀他的婚姻。
The thought hit him like a slap across the face. Quentyn had grown up amongst the courts of Dorne. Plots and poisons were no strangers to him. Nor was Prince Lewyn his only uncle. He is kin to the Red Viper. Daenerys had taken another for her consort, but if Hizdahr died, she would be free to wed again. Could the Shavepate have been wrong? Who can say that the locusts were meant for Daenerys? It was the king’s own box. What if he was meant to be the victim all along? Hizdahr’s death would have smashed the fragile peace. The Sons of the Harpy would have resumed their murders, the Yunkishmen their war. Daenerys might have had no better choice than Quentyn and his marriage pact.
巴利斯坦还在猜疑寻思中，却听到厅堂之后石阶传来沉重的靴步声。渊凯人来了。三个善主带着队伍从黄色之城而来，每位都有自己的武装随侍，一个奴隶穿着镶金边的栗色丝绸托卡，一个是橘色条纹鸭皮，第三个穿着华丽的胸甲，上面用墨黑、翡翠及珍珠母绘着情色之景。红胡子的佣兵团长紧随之后，肩披巨大的皮质口袋，面露杀戮的快感。
Ser Barristan was still wrestling with that suspicion when he heard the sound of heavy boots ascending the steep stone steps at the back of the hall. The Yunkishmen had come. Three Wise Masters led the procession from the Yellow City, each with his own armed retinue. One slaver wore a tokar of maroon silk fringed with gold, one a striped tokar of teal and orange, the third an ornate breastplate inlaid with erotic scenes done in jet and jade and mother-of-pearl. The sellsword captain Bloodbeard accompanied them with a leathern sack slung across one massive shoulder and a look of mirth and murder on his face.
没有破烂王，赛尔弥注意到。没有布朗·本·普拉姆。巴利斯坦冷眼看着红胡子。给我半点理由来会会你，看谁能笑道最后。
No Tattered Prince, Selmy noted. No Brown Ben Plumm. Ser Barristan eyed Bloodbeard coolly. Give me half a reason to dance with you, and we will see who is laughing at the end.
雷兹纳克。莫。雷兹纳克挪步向前。“善主大人们，你的驾到蓬荜生辉。尊贵的希兹达尔陛下必然期待着渊凯而来的贵宾。我们理解。”
Reznak mo Reznak wormed his way forward. “Wise Masters, you honor us. His Radiance King Hizdahr bids welcome to his friends from Yunkai. We understand—”
“理解这个！”红胡子从麻袋里丢出个头颅在总管面前。
“Understand this.” Bloodbeard pulled a severed head from his sack and flung it at the seneschal.
雷兹纳克惊恐的躲闪开来。头颅擦过他，在王室厅大理石地面上弹跳着滚到希兹达尔王德龙座前，留下一路血迹。整个大厅里，铜盔野兽都握起长矛。巨人戈哈沉步上前挡在王座之前。斑点猫和卡拉兹紧随他旁组成人墙。
Reznak gave a squeak of fright and leapt aside. The head bounced past him, leaving spots of blood on the purple marble floor as it rolled until it fetched up against the foot of King Hizdahr’s dragon throne. Up and down the length of the hall, Brazen Beasts lowered their spears. Goghor the Giant lumbered forward to place himself before the king’s throne, and the Spotted Cat and Khrazz moved to either side of him to form a wall.
红胡子笑道：“他死了，死人才不会动。”
Bloodbeard laughed. “He’s dead. He won’t bite.”
小心翼翼，颤颤巍巍，总管靠近了头颅，从头发拎起。“格罗莱船长。”
Gingerly, so gingerly, the seneschal approached the head, lifted it delicately by the hair. “Admiral Groleo.”
巴利斯坦瞟了眼王座。他侍奉过不少帝王，这样的挑衅引起的反应让他好奇猜测。伊里斯该会惊恐的退缩，估计又要被铁王座的倒刺划伤，然后尖呼侍卫砍翻这些渊凯人。劳勃估计会拿起大锤直接招呼上红胡子。即使公认懦弱的杰赫里斯二世，也会下令逮捕红胡子和这些渊凯人。
Ser Barristan glanced toward the throne. He had served so many kings, he could not help but imagine how they might have reacted to this provocation. Aerys would have flinched away in horror, likely cutting himself on the barbs of the Iron Throne, then shrieked at his swordsmen to cut the Yunkishmen to pieces. Robert would have shouted for his hammer to repay Bloodbeard in kind. Even Jaehaerys, reckoned weak by many, would have ordered the arrest of Bloodbeard and the Yunkish slavers.
希兹达尔傻坐在王座上，呆若木鸡。雷兹纳克放下个滑枕在国王脚下，就惊慌跑开，满是厌恶恶心的表情。几尺之外巴利斯坦就能闻到管家熏鼻的香水气味。
Hizdahr sat frozen, a man transfixed. Reznak set the head on a satin pillow at the king’s feet, then scampered away, his mouth twisted up in a moue of distaste. Ser Barristan could smell the seneschal’s heavy floral perfume from several yards away.
那个死人头满眼责备。他棕色的胡须上还有血块，但颈脖上仍渗出血滴。从这惨样看来，砍了这家伙的头费了不知一刀，大厅后部，请愿人群开始散去，一个铜盔野兽摘下自己的鹰面模具，呕吐起早饭。
The dead man stared up reproachfully. His beard was brown with caked blood, but a trickle of red still leaked from his neck. From the look of him, it had taken more than one blow to part his head from his body. In the back of the hall, petitioners began to slip away. One of the Brazen Beasts ripped off his brass hawk’s mask and began to spew up his breakfast.
巴利斯坦。塞尔弥对这死人不陌生。这个就是…他跨越了半个世界和这老水手，从潘托斯到魁尔斯再到阿斯塔波。格罗菜是个好人。他不该就这样死去。他所想的不过是回家。骑士感到紧张，等候着。
Barristan Selmy was no stranger to severed heads. This one, though … he had crossed half the world with the old seafarer, from Pentos to Qarth and back again to Astapor. Groleo was a good man. He did not deserve this end. All he ever wanted was to go home. The knight tensed, waiting.
”这，“希兹达尔王终于说话，”这不是…捞们不能接受，这这什么意思？这… ”
“This,” King Hizdahr said at last, “this is not … we are not pleased, this … what is the meaning of this … this …”
栗色昆卡的那个善主递上一张羊皮纸，“我很荣幸传达善主议会的决议。”他铺开纸卷。字都写在有七位弥林签署和平条约并出席达兹那卡竞挂场的纪念仪式。为了他们的安全，必须的交换七名人质给我们。渊凯为它高野民尤卡哈兹。卓。云扎卡哀悼，他来弥林做客却被冷酷杀害。血债必须血偿。”
The slaver in the maroon tokar produced a parchment. “I have the honor to bear this message from the council of masters.” He unrolled the scroll. “It is here written, ‘Seven entered Meereen to sign the peace accords and witness the celebratory games at the Pit of Daznak. As surety for their safety, seven hostages were tendered us. The Yellow City mourns its noble son Yurkhaz zo Yunzak, who perished cruelly whilst a guest of Meereen. Blood must pay for blood.’ ”
格罗莱在潘托斯还有老婆孩子孙子。为什么是他，在这些人质中？乔戈，哈洛，和达里奥纳哈里斯都是战士，但格罗莱不过是水手。他们难道是抓阄，还是他们认为格罗菜对我们最没价值，最不可能引起报复？骑士问着自己……但提问却比解答轻松。我对此毫无头绪。
Groleo had a wife back in Pentos. Children, grandchildren. Why him, of all the hostages? Jhogo, Hero, and Daario Naharis all commanded fighting men, but Groleo had been an admiral without a fleet. Did they draw straws, or did they think Groleo the least valuable to us, the least likely to provoke reprisal? the knight asked himself … but it was easier to pose that question than to answer it. I have no skill at unraveling such knots.
“陛下。”巴利斯坦大声说道，“不知你还记得否，高贵的云扎卡死于意外，他在逃离巨龙时被石阶绊倒，摔在他自己的随从和奴隶中，这些，再加上他被惊吓心跳过速，他已经年长，”
“Your Grace,” Ser Barristan called out. “If it please you to recall, the noble Yurkhaz died by happenstance. He stumbled on the steps as he tried to flee the dragon and was crushed beneath the feet of his own slaves and companions. That, or his heart burst in terror. He was old.”
“谁能未经陛下的允许发言？”渊凯的条纹托卡的善主问道，一个矮子有着窄下巴和龅牙，他让赛尔弥想起了兔子。”渊凯的善主要和侍卫瞎扯了吗？“他摇了摇托卡流苏上的珍珠。
“Who is this who speaks without the king’s leave?” asked the Yunkish lord in the striped tokar, a small man with a receding chin and teeth too big for his mouth. He reminded Selmy of a rabbit. “Must the lords of Yunkai attend to the natterings of guards?” He shook the pearls that fringed his tokar.
希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克还呆盯着头颅，当雷兹纳克在他耳边低语了几句才缓过神来。“尤卡哈兹。卓。云扎卡曾是你们的执政官，”他说，“现在谁来为渊凯做决定？”
Hizdahr zo Loraq could not seem to look away from the head. Only when Reznak whispered something in his ear did he finally bestir himself. “Yurkhaz zo Yunzak was your supreme commander,” he said. “Which of you speaks for Yunkai now?”
“我们所有的，”兔子接口，“善主会议。”
“All of us,” said the rabbit. “The council of masters.”
希兹达尔忽然来了精神，“那么你们都要为和平的破裂负责。”
King Hizdahr found some steel. “Then all of you bear the responsibility for this breach of our peace.”
穿胸铠的渊凯人说道，“捞们的和平没被违背。以血还血，一命换命。为了展现我们的善意，我们将释放三名人质。”他身后的卫士散开。三个弥林人被推上来，抓着他们的托卡一两女男。
The Yunkishman in the breastplate gave answer. “Our peace has not been breached. Blood pays for blood, a life for a life. To show our good faith, we return three of your hostages.” The iron ranks behind him parted. Three Meereenese were ushered forward, clutching at their tokars—two women and a man.
“姐妹，”希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克生硬的说道，“侄子。”他指了指流血的头领。“把那擦干净吧．”
“Sister,” said Hizdahr zo Loraq, stiffly. “Cousins.” He gestured at the bleeding head. “Remove that from our sight.”
“船长是属于海洋的。”巴利斯坦提醒道。“尊请陛下能向渊凯人要回他的遗体，以便我们将他葬于大海。”
“The admiral was a man of the sea,” Ser Barristan reminded him. “Mayhaps Your Magnificence might ask the Yunkai’i to return his body to us, so we may bury him beneath the waves?”
龅牙的那位挥了挥手，“若是能取悦陛下，已经准备好了，以表敬意。”
The rabbit-toothed lord waved a hand. “If it please Your Radiance, this shall be done. A sign of our respect.”
斯卡哈兹。莫。坎达克高声清了清嗓子，“恕我冒昧，在我来尊责的丹尼莉丝女王陛下派了…嗯……七个人质。其它的三个…”
Reznak mo Reznak cleared his throat noisily. “Meaning no offense, yet it seems to me that Her Worship Queen Daenerys gave you … ah … seven hostages. The other three …”
其它人仍是我们的客人。”穿胸甲的渊凯人宣布道，“直到巨龙被屠。”
“The others shall remain our guests,” announced the Yunkish lord in the breastplate, “until the dragons have been destroyed.”
厅内迅速寂静了下来，又接着充斥低语，低声咒骂，祈祷。仿若黄蜂归巢。“至于龙…”希兹达尔说。
A hush fell across the hall. Then came the murmurs and the mutters, whispered curses, whispered prayers, the hornets stirring in their hive. “The dragons …” said King Hizdahr.
“是怪物，大家都在达兹那卡竞挂场目睹了。他们不死就没真正的和平可言。“
“… are monsters, as all men saw in Daznak’s Pit. No true peace is possible whilst they live.”
雷兹纳克回复到，“尊责的丹妮莉丝女王是龙之母。只有她才可以——“
Reznak replied. “Her Magnificence Queen Daenerys is Mother of Dragons. Only she can—”
红胡子打断了他，“她死了。烧焦咬烂了。野草在她的破碎头颅上生长。”
Bloodbeard’s scorn cut him off. “She is gone. Burned and devoured. Weeds grow through her broken skull.”
—声咆哮报之以回应。一些人开始呼喊咒骂。其它的却紧闭双腿用口哨表示赞许。铜盔野兽不得下以矛背锄地来肃静厅内。
A roar greeted those words. Some began to shout and curse. Others stamped their feet and whistled their approval. It took the Brazen Beasts pounding the butts of their spears against the floor before the hall quieted again.
巴利斯坦目不离红胡于。他来洗劫城市，而希兹达尔用和平欺骗了他。他会竭尽所能挑起冲突。
Ser Barristan never once took his eyes off Bloodbeard. He came to sack a city, and Hizdahr’s peace has cheated him of his plunder. He will do whatever he must to start the bloodshed.
希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克缓慢的的从龙椅上起身。“我要和御前会议讨论，今天的谒见到此结束。”
Hizdahr zo Loraq rose slowly from his dragon throne. “I must consult my council. This court is done.”
“全体迎送，伟大的希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克陛下，第十四代高贵的坎达克，弥林之王，吉斯神的化身，古老帝国的继承，斯卡扎丹河之主，龙脉之伴侣，鹰身女妖的血脉。”传礼官吼道。铜盔野兽挥动长矛组成一线，然后缓慢的将请愿人群推搡出大厅。
“All kneel for His Magnificence Hizdahr zo Loraq, Fourteenth of That Ancient Name, King of Meereen, Scion of Ghis, Octarch of the Old Empire, Master of the Skahazadhan, Consort to Dragons and Blood of the Harpy,” the herald shouted. Brazen Beasts swung out amongst the pillars to form a line, then began a slow advance in lockstep, ushering the petitioners from the hall.
多恩人不像大多数人那样有许多路要走。为了贴合他的地位和身份，昆汀。马泰尔被安排住在大金字塔内，两层之下，一套漂亮的套间有自己单独的秘密有墙的阳台。或许这就是他和他的同伴磨蹭直到侍卫推搡上来才离开。
The Dornishmen did not have as far to go as most. As befit his rank and station, Quentyn Martell had been given quarters within the Great Pyramid, two levels down—a handsome suite of rooms with its own privy and walled terrace. Perhaps that was why he and his companions lingered, waiting until the press had lessened before beginning to make their way toward the steps.
巴利斯坦看着他们，满心思绪。丹尼莉丝想要什么？他自问。他以为他知道。老骑士大步穿过厅堂，他的白袍在身后挥扬。他在石阶最高处追上了多恩人。“你爹的听会从没这么有意思。”他听到德林克沃特嘲弄着。
Ser Barristan watched them, thoughtful. What would Daenerys want? he asked himself. He thought he knew. The old knight strode across the hall, his long white cloak rippling behind him. He caught the Dornishmen at the top of the steps. “Your father’s court was never half so lively,” he heard Drinkwater japing.
“昆汀王子，”赛尔弥呼唤道，“能借步一句。”
“Prince Quentyn,” Selmy called. “Might I beg a word?”
昆汀，马泰尔回过头，“巴利斯坦爵士，当然，我的套房在一层之下。”
Quentyn Martell turned. “Ser Barristan. Of course. My chambers are one level down.”
“不。虽然我没资格建议你，昆汀王子。但我若是你，我不会回套房。你和你的朋友们该沿着这些石阶离开。”
No. “It is not my place to counsel you, Prince Quentyn … but if I were you, I would not return to my chambers. You and your friends should go down the steps and leave.”
昆汀王子盯着，“离开金字塔？”
Prince Quentyn stared. “Leave the pyramid?”
“离开弥林，回多恩去。”
“Leave the city. Return to Dorne.”
多恩人互换了下眼神，“我们的武器和盔甲还在房里，”杰瑞斯。德林克沃特说道，“更别说我们大部分细软。“
The Dornishmen exchanged a look. “Our arms and armor are back in our apartments,” said Gerris Drinkwater. “Not to mention most of the coin that we have left.”
“武器可以更换，”巴利斯坦爵士说道“我可以给你们提供足够回多恩的钱财。昆汀王子，国王注意到你了，他不高兴。”
“Swords can be replaced,” said Ser Barristan. “I can provide you with coin enough for passage back to Dorne. Prince Quentyn, the king made note of you today. He frowned.”
杰瑞斯。德林克沃特笑道，“我们会怕希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克？你方才也看到他那囧样。他在渊凯人面前颤抖。他们用头威吓他，他却毫无反应。”
Gerris Drinkwater laughed. “Should we be frightened of Hizdahr zo Loraq? You saw him just now. He quailed before the Yunkishmen. They sent him a head, and he did nothing.”
昆汀。马泰尔点头附和，“王子都谋而后定。这王？我不了解他。女王警告过我远离他，确实，但…”
Quentyn Martell nodded in agreement. “A prince does well to think before he acts. This king … I do not know what to think of him. The queen warned me against him as well, true, but …”
“她警告过你？”赛尔弥皱眉，“那你们还在这？”
“She warned you?” Selmy frowned. “Why are you still here?”
昆汀王子激动道，“那纸婚约…”
Prince Quentyn flushed. “The marriage pact—”
“由两个死人签署而且既没有提到女王又没有你。他是由你姐姐和女王的哥哥达成的，又是个逝者。这毫无效果。在你出现之前，女王陛下压根没提及过。你父亲非常善于保守秘密，昆汀王子。过犹不及，我恐怕。倘若当初在魁尓斯，女王就知道这纸婚约，她恐怕不会来奴隶湾的。但你来得太晚了。不是要在你伤口上撒盐，女王陛下她已经有了新的丈夫和旧的情人，而且貌似比你更偏爱他们。”
“—was made by two dead men and contained not a word about the queen or you. It promised your sister’s hand to the queen’s brother, another dead man. It has no force. Until you turned up here, Her Grace was ignorant of its existence. Your father keeps his secrets well, Prince Quentyn. Too well, I fear. If the queen had known of this pact in Qarth, she might never have turned aside for Slaver’s Bay, but you came too late. I have no wish to salt your wounds, but Her Grace has a new husband and an old paramour, and seems to prefer the both of them to you.”
王子深色的眼光中流露怒火，“这个吉斯小贵族才配不上七国的皇后。”
Anger flashed in the prince’s dark eyes. “This Ghiscari lordling is no fit consort for the queen of the Seven Kingdoms.”
“这不是你说了算。”巴利斯坦缓了口气，考虑自己是不是已经说得太多了。不，都告诉他吧。“在达兹那卡责技场那天，皇室的食盒里被下了毒。幸亏是壮汉贝沃斯都吃了。蓝衣仁者说多亏了他的体型和强壮才救了他，但那也是九死一生。他差点就死了。”
“That is not for you to judge.” Ser Barristan paused, wondering if he had said too much already. No. Tell him the rest of it. “That day at Daznak’s Pit, some of the food in the royal box was poisoned. It was only chance that Strong Belwas ate it all. The Blue Graces say that only his size and freakish strength have saved him, but it was a near thing. He may yet die.”
昆汀王子脸露震惊。“毒药？下给丹妮莉丝的？”
The shock was plain on Prince Quentyn’s face. “Poison … meant for Daenerys?”
“她或者希兹达尔，或许都是。和子是他的，虽然。陛下他安排了一切。如果下毒的是他？ 那，他就要个替罪羊了。这厅里还有比从遥远地方来的对手更合适的吗？还有哪个被女王拒绝的求婚者更有嫌疑？”
“Her or Hizdahr. Perhaps both. The box was his, though. His Grace made all the arrangements. If the poison was his doing … well, he will need a scapegoat. Who better than a rival from a distant land who has no friends at this court? Who better than a suitor the queen spurned?”
昆汀。马泰尔一脸苍白。“我？我绝不会。你不会也认为我会…”
Quentyn Martell went pale. “Me? I would never … you cannot think I had any part in any …”
这就是真相，除非他是演技高手。“其他人会的，”巴利斯坦爵士说，“红毒蛇是你叔叔。你又有杀希兹达尔王的好动机。”
That was the truth, or he is a master mummer. “Others might,” said Ser Barristan. “The Red Viper was your uncle. And you have good reason to want King Hizdahr dead.”
“其他人也有，”杰瑞靳德林克沃特争辩道，“纳咭里靳，譬如，女王的 ”
“So do others,” suggested Gerris Drinkwater. “Naharis, for one. The queen’s …”
“ 妍头，”巴利靳坦接口，在多恩骑士说出任何个玷污女王的词汇前。“这就是你们在多恩的叫法，是吗？”他没等答案。“勒文亲王是我的誓言兄弟。那段岁月里，御林铁卫间没啥秘密。我知道他有个妍头。他并没有以此为耻。”
“… paramour,” Ser Barristan finished, before the Dornish knight could say anything that might besmirch the queen’s honor. “That is what you call them down in Dorne, is it not?” He did not wait for a reply. “Prince Lewyn was my Sworn Brother. In those days there were few secrets amongst the Kingsguard. I know he kept a paramour. He did not feel there was any shame in that.”
“不，”昆汀红着脸说道，“但……”
“No,” said Quentyn, red-faced, “but …”
“达里奥他敢早就杀了希兹达尔，”巴利斯坦继续，“但不会下毒，绝不。况且达里奥并不在场。希兹达尔会很乐于把蝗虫嫁祸给他的，类似…但国王他还需要风鸦团，但一旦他和团长之死有关那就不行了。所以，王子殿下。如果他要嫁祸，他最有可能找你。”他尽最安全的方式说了。再过几天，若诸神有幸，希兹达尔。佐。洛拉克将不再统治弥林。但在将到来的大屠杀里昆汀王子被捕就坏事了。“如果你坚持呆在弥林，你最好避开集会寄希望于希兹达尔忘了你，”巴利斯坦结束道，“但前往瓦兰提斯的船票更的船票更明智，王子殿下。无论你选那条，祝你好运。”
“Daario would kill Hizdahr in a heartbeat if he dared,” Ser Barristan went on. “But not with poison. Never. And Daario was not there in any case. Hizdahr would be pleased to blame him for the locusts, all the same … but the king may yet have need of the Stormcrows, and he will lose them if he appears complicit in the death of their captain. No, my prince. If His Grace needs a poisoner, he will look to you.” He had said all that he could safely say. In a few more days, if the gods smiled on them, Hizdahr zo Loraq would no longer rule Meereen … but no good would be served by having Prince Quentyn caught up in the bloodbath that was coming. “If you must remain in Meereen, you would do well to stay away from court and hope Hizdahr forgets you,” Ser Barristan finished, “but a ship for Volantis would be wiser, my prince. Whatever course you choose, I wish you well.”
他转身还没有走出三步，昆汀。马泰尔召唤道，“无畏的巴利斯坦，他们这么称呼你。”
Before he had gone three steps, Quentyn Martell called out to him. “Barristan the Bold, they call you.”
“有些，”赛尔弥在他十岁的时候赢得了这个称号，新晋侍从，却那么无所畏惧的莽撞，自以为可以和浸过油的骑士一较高下。于是他从唐德利恩爵士那借了匹战马和一套盔甲，以神秘骑士的身份参加了黑港的比武。尽管通令官笑了。我的胳膊太细了以至于当我低下长枪，我所能做的就是不拿它犁在地上。唐德利恩爵士本有权利把他拉下马扇他巴掌，但龙弗莱王子同情了这个身穿不合体盔甲愚蠢男孩，并给予他自信去迎接挑战。一点指引就是他所要的。之后邓肯王子帮他下马并脱下他的头盔。”他朝围观的群众宣布道，“一个无畏的孩子。”五十载已逝，当年黑港的故人又还有多少在世？
“Some do.” Selmy had won that name when he was ten years old, a new-made squire, yet so vain and proud and foolish that he got it in his head that he could joust with tried and proven knights. So he’d borrowed a warhorse and some plate from Lord Dondarrion’s armory and entered the lists at Blackhaven as a mystery knight. Even the herald laughed. My arms were so thin that when I lowered my lance it was all I could do to keep the point from furrowing the ground. Lord Dondarrion would have been within his rights to pull him off the horse and spank him, but the Prince of Dragonflies had taken pity on the addlepated boy in the ill-fitting armor and accorded him the respect of taking up his challenge. One course was all that it required. Afterward Prince Duncan helped him to his feet and removed his helm. “A boy,” he had proclaimed to the crowd. “A bold boy.” Fifty-three years ago. How many men are still alive who were there at Blackhaven?
“那你认为当我没带回丹妮莉丝到多恩，他们会怎么特呼我？”昆汀王子质问道，“谨谨的昆汀？懦夫昆汀？怯懦的昆汀？”
“What name do you think they will give me, should I return to Dorne without Daenerys?” Prince Quentyn asked. “Quentyn the Cautious? Quentyn the Craven? Quentyn the Quail?”
迟到的王子，老骑士想。但多年的御林铁卫岁月没教会他别的，就是管好自己的舌头。“明智的昆汀。”他说到，并期望成真。”
The Prince Who Came Too Late, the old knight thought … but if a knight of the Kingsguard learns nothing else, he learns to guard his tongue. “Quentyn the Wise,” he suggested. And hoped that it was true.
