Tyrion left the

fat women to their loaves and kettles and went in search of the cellar where

Illyrio had decanted him the night before. It was not hard to find. There was

enough wine there to keep him drunk for a hundred years; sweet reds from the

Reach and sour reds from Dorne, pale Pentoshi ambers, the green nectar of Myr, three

score casks of Arbor gold, even wines from the fabled east, from Qarth and Yi

Ti and Asshai by the Shadow. In the end, Tyrion chose a cask of strongwine

marked as the private stock of Lord Runceford Redwyne, the grandfather of the

present Lord of the Arbor. The taste of it was languorous and heady on the

tongue, the color a purple so dark that it looked almost black in the dim-lit

cellar. Tyrion filled a cup, and a flagon for good measure, and carried them up

to the gardens to drink beneath those cherry trees he’d seen.他不知道如果自己抓住她们的手，把她们拖进卧室的话，她们会怎么做。没人敢拒绝你，伊利里欧曾这样声称，但是提利昂可？？？？认为他指得是这两个。年纪小点的那个妇人都可以当他妈了，那个年长的则可能是她的母亲。她们都和伊利里欧一样胖，乳房比他的头还大。我可能会被肥肉给憋死，那是个糟糕的死法，就像他的父亲大人的死法。我应该让他死前给我拉点金子。也许泰温大人在认同和亲情方面很是吝啬，但在金钱方面却总很慷慨。如果有什么东西比一个没鼻子的侏儒更可怜话，那就只能是一个没鼻子的穷鬼侏儒。

As it happened,

he left by the wrong door and never found the pool he had spied from his

window, but it made no matter. The gardens behind the manse were just as

pleasant, and far more extensive. He wandered through them for a time,

drinking. The walls would have shamed any proper castle, and the ornamental

iron spikes along the top looked strangely naked without heads to adorn them.

Tyrion pictured how his sister’s head might look up there, with tar in her

golden hair and flies buzzing in and out of her mouth. Yes, and Jaime must have

the spike beside her, he decided. No one must ever come between my brother and

my sister.提利昂把胖女人留给了面团和罐子，转身去搜寻昨晚伊利里欧放他出来的那个地窖。这倒不是件难事。地窖里的酒足够让他醉上一百年，甜甜的红酒产自河湾，酸酸的红酒来自多恩，潘托斯的酒是淡淡的琥珀色，密尔的蜜酒则是幽幽的碧绿，这里有三十多桶青亭岛的金色美酒，甚至有些佳酿还来自颇有传奇色彩的东方，来自暗影之地附近的弥林、夸释和阿塞。提利昂最后挑中的是一桶烈酒，标签上说是珍藏于冉斯福特·雷德维恩领主，也就是现任青亭岛领主的祖父。这酒入口柔和，但劲头十足，色泽深紫，在幽暗的地窖里近乎浓黑。提利昂倒了一杯，然后又灌了满满一壶，准备带到那几棵樱桃树下品尝。

With a rope and

a grapnel he might be able to get over that wall. He had strong arms and he did

not weigh much. He should be able to clamber over, if he did not impale himself

on a spike. I will search for a rope on the morrow, he resolved.他出错了门，结果再也找不着从窗子看到的那个池塘，不过不要紧。宅子后方的花园同样也很怡人，而且宽敞得多。他品着美酒在花园中游荡了一阵。这院墙可以让任何真正的城堡都相形失色，不过墙头那些装饰性的铁刺少了人头的点缀，光溜溜的甚是怪异。提利昂想象着他姐姐的人头插在上面的样子：金发中露出焦油，苍蝇嗡嗡地在她嘴里飞进飞出。他决定应该让詹姆享受她旁边的那根铁刺。没错，任何人都不能插在我的哥哥和姐姐之间。

He saw three

gates during his wanderings—the main entrance with its gatehouse, a postern by

the kennels, and a garden gate hidden behind a tangle of pale ivy. The last was

chained, the others guarded. The guards were plump, their faces as smooth as

babies’ bottoms, and every man of them wore a spiked bronze cap. Tyrion knew

eunuchs when he saw them. He knew their sort by reputation. They feared nothing

and felt no pain, it was said, and were loyal to their masters unto death. I

could make good use of a few hundred of mine own, he reflected. A pity I did

not think of that before I became a beggar.有绳子和抓钩的话，他应该能翻过这院墙。他的双臂很有力，身体也不重。他应该能翻过去，只要他不把自己钉在那些铁刺上的话。他决定明天一早就去找根绳子。

He walked along

a pillared gallery and through a pointed arch, and found himself in a tiled

courtyard where a woman was washing clothes at a well. She looked to be his own

age, with dull red hair and a broad face dotted by freckles. “Would you like

some wine?” he asked her. She looked at him uncertainly. “I have no cup for

you, we’ll have to share.” The wash-erwoman went back to wringing out tunics

and hanging them to dry. Tyrion settled on a stone bench with his flagon. “Tell

me, how far should I trust Magister Illyrio?” The name made her look up. “That

far?” Chuckling, he crossed his stunted legs and took a drink. “I am loath to

play whatever part the cheesemonger has in mind for me, yet how can I refuse

him? The gates are guarded. Perhaps you might smuggle me out under your skirts?

I’d be so grateful; why, I’ll even wed you. I have two wives already, why not

three? Ah, but where would we live?” He gave her as pleasant a smile as a man

with half a nose could manage. “I have a niece in Sunspear, did I tell you? I

could make rather a lot of mischief in Dorne with Myrcella. I could set my

niece and nephew at war, wouldn’t that be droll?” The washerwoman pinned up one

of Illyrio’s tunics, large enough to double as a sail. “I should be ashamed to

think such evil thoughts, you’re quite right. Better if I sought the Wall

instead. All crimes are wiped clean when a man joins the Night’s Watch, they

say. Though I fear they would not let me keep you, sweetling. No women in the

Watch, no sweet freckly wives to warm your bed at night, only cold winds, salted

cod, and small beer. Do you think I might stand taller in black, my lady?” He filled his cup again. “What do you say? North or south? Shall I atone

for old sins or make some new ones?”游荡的时候他发现了三个大门：带着警卫室的正门，犬舍旁的后门，还有掩在一丛淡绿色常春藤后面的园门。园门被铁链拴上了，其他两个门都有守卫。这些守卫身材饱满，脸光滑得象婴儿的小屁股，每人都带着一顶有刺的青铜盔。提利昂一眼就认出这是些太监，传闻也告诉他这是哪一类人。相传他们没有痛感，无所畏惧，对主人至死效忠。如果我有几百人的话倒可以好好利用，他想到。真是遗憾，我没成乞丐之前竟然没想到这一点。

The washerwoman

gave him one last glance, picked up her basket, and walked away. I cannot seem

to hold a wife for very long, Tyrion reflected. Somehow his flagon had gone

dry. Perhaps I should stumble back down to the cellars. The strongwine was

making his head spin, though, and the cellar steps were very steep. “Where do

whores go?” he asked the wash flapping on the line. Perhaps he should have

asked the washerwoman. Not to imply that you’re a whore, my dear, but perhaps

you know where they go. Or better yet, he should have asked his father. “Wherever whores go,” Lord Tywin said. She loved me. She was a

crofter’s daughter, she

loved me and she wed me, she put her trust in me.他沿着一条游廊前行，穿过一个尖顶拱门，来到了一个平坦的庭院之中。一个女人正在井边洗着衣服。她看上去和他年纪相仿，暗红色的头发，宽脸上长着不少雀斑。“要来点酒吗？”他问道。那女子用疑惑的目光打量着他。“我没酒杯给你用，咱们得共用一个杯子。”洗衣女继续拧着衣服，然后把它们晾起来。提利昂提着酒壶在一张石椅上坐下。“告诉我，我能信赖伊利里欧总督多少？”这名字让她抬头看了看。“就这些么？”低声笑着，他架起一条发育不全的腿，喝了口酒。“不管这个奶酪贩子对我有什么打算，我都很厌恶。不过我怎么能拒绝他呢？也许你能把我藏在裙下带出去？我会非常感激你的。哦，我甚至会娶你。我已经娶过两个妻子了，三个也不打紧吧？啊，但我们住哪里呢？”他冲她笑了笑，对于一个只剩半个鼻子的人来说，这已经是他最迷人的微笑了。“我有个外甥女在阳戟城，我跟你提过吗？有弥赛菈，我就可以在多恩添不少乱子。我可以让我的外甥跟外甥女开战，那不是很滑稽吗？”洗衣女晾起一件伊利里欧的外套，那尺寸大得可以做两块风帆。“你很对，我应该对如此邪恶的念头感到羞耻。我还是去长城更好点。他们说，当你加入守夜人时，一切罪恶就都洗清了。不过我害怕他们不会让我带上你，小甜心。守夜人里是没有女人的，夜里没有长着雀斑的可爱妻子来温暖你的被窝，只有寒风、咸鱼和淡啤酒。小姐，你觉得我身着黑衣的话会显得高点吗？”他又倒了杯酒说道。“你觉得呢？去北面还是南面？我应该为以前的罪行赎罪，还是再犯些新的？”

The empty flagon

slipped from his hand and rolled across the yard. Tyrion pushed himself off the

bench and went to fetch it. As he did, he saw some mushrooms growing up from a

cracked paving tile. Pale white they were, with speckles, and red-ribbed

undersides dark as blood. The dwarf snapped one off and sniffed it. Delicious,

he thought, and deadly.洗衣女最后看了他一眼，便拎起她的篮子离开了。我好像一个妻子都留不了太久，提利昂想道。他的酒壶不知什么时候已经空了。或许我该跌跌撞撞地回到那个酒窖去。不过那烈酒已经让他发晕了，而且通往酒窖的石梯很陡。“妓女的去处是哪？”他冲着那些在风中啪啪作响的衣物问道。或许他早该问问那个洗衣女。不是暗指你是妓女，亲爱的，但或许你知道她们会去哪里？或许他更早该问问他的父亲。“妓女的去处”，泰温大人曾这样说。她爱我。她是佃农的女儿，她爱我而且嫁给了我，她把她的信任交给了我。

There were seven

of the mushrooms. Perhaps the Seven were trying to tell him something. He

picked them all, snatched a glove down from the line, wrapped them carefully,

and stuffed them down his pocket. The effort made him dizzy, so afterward he

crawled back onto the bench, curled up, and shut his eyes.空空的酒壶从他手中滑落，滚到了院子的另一头。提利昂苦笑着起身去拣酒壶，却瞥见一块开裂的地砖中长着几朵蘑菇。淡白色的伞上有不少斑点，伞下则是血红的经络。侏儒摘下一朵嗅了嗅。美味佳肴，他想到，或是致命毒药。他注意到这丛蘑菇一共七朵；或许七神是要向他传递什么消息。他拔起这些蘑菇，拽过一只晾着的手套细细包住，然后塞入衣袋之中。这翻折腾让他头晕目眩，所以只好爬回石椅，卷着身子闭上了眼。

When he woke

again, he was back in his bedchamber, drowning in the goose-down feather bed

once more while a blond girl shook his shoulder. “My lord,” she said, “your bath awaits. Magister Illyrio expects you at table within the

hour.”再次睁开双眼时，他已回到了卧室，全身陷在那张软软的羽毛褥子里。一个金发女孩正摇着他的肩膀。“大人”，她说道，“你该洗澡了。伊利里欧总督等着你一小时后共进晚餐。”

Tyrion propped

himself against the pillows, his head in his hands. “Do I dream, or do you speak the Common Tongue?”提利昂靠着双枕，两手抱头。“是我在做梦，还是你真的是讲通用语？”

“Yes, my lord. I was bought to please the king.” She was blue-eyed and fair, young and

willowy.“是的，大人。我被卖到这里取悦国王。”她年轻漂亮，身材苗条，长着一双蔚蓝的眼睛。

“I am sure you did. I need a cup of wine.”“你肯定做得不错。我需要一杯酒。”

She poured for

him. “Magister Illyrio

said that I am to scrub your back and warm your bed. My name—”那女孩替他斟了一杯。“伊利里欧总督让我替你撮背，给你暖被窝。我的名字——”

“—is of no interest to me. Do you know where whores go?” She flushed. “Whores sell themselves for coin.”“——跟我没关系。你知道妓女会去哪里吗？”她脸红了。“妓女是为钱卖身的。”

“Or jewels, or gowns, or castles. But where do they go?”“或者为了珠宝，为了漂亮衣服，要不是城堡。不过她们会去哪里？”

The girl could

not grasp the question. “Is it a riddle, m’lord? I’m no good at riddles. Will you tell me the answer?”那女孩对这个问题很是不解。“这是个谜语吗，大人？我不擅长猜谜。您能告诉我答案吗？”

No, he thought.

I despise riddles, myself. “I will tell you nothing. Do me the same favor.” The

only part of you that interests me is the part between your legs, he almost

said. The words were on his tongue, but somehow never passed his lips. She is

not Shae, the dwarf told himself, only some little fool who thinks I play at

riddles. If truth be told, even her cunt did not interest him much. I must be

sick, or dead. “You mentioned a

bath? We must not keep the great cheesemonger waiting.”不能，他想道。我自己也恨猜谜。“我不会告诉你什么。最好你也一样。”你唯一能让我感兴趣的地方是你两腿之间，他差点就脱口而出。话都到了嘴边，但不知怎地竟没出口。她不是雪伊，侏儒告诉自己，只是一个以为我在玩猜谜游戏的小傻瓜。说实话，他对她的私处也没有多大兴趣。我一定是病得不轻，要不就已经死了。“你刚才说洗澡吗？带我去吧。我们不能让那位伟大的奶酪商人久等。”

As he bathed,

the girl washed his feet, scrubbed his back, and brushed his hair. Afterward

she rubbed sweet-smelling ointment into his calves to ease the aches, and

dressed him once again in boy’s clothing, a musty pair of burgundy breeches and

a blue velvet doublet lined with cloth-of-gold. “Will my lord want me after he has eaten?” she asked as she was lacing up his boots.洗澡的时候，那女孩替他搓了脚，擦了背，还梳了头发。接着在他的小腿上涂了些闻起来甜甜的药膏，以减轻疼痛，然后替他穿上一条带霉味的深紫色裤子和一件镶着金边的蓝色天鹅绒上衣，仍旧是小孩的衣物。“大人晚餐后需要我吗？”她替他系鞋带的时候问道。

“No. I am done with women.” Whores.“不。我对女人厌倦了。”婊子。

The girl took

that disappointment too well for his liking. “If m’lord would prefer

a boy, I can have one waiting in his bed.”让他郁闷的是，那女孩完全误解了他的失望。“如果大人喜欢男孩的话，我会替你安排一个。”

M’lord would prefer his wife. M’lord would prefer a girl named Tysha. “Only if he knows where whores go.”大人只喜欢他的妻子。大人只喜欢一个叫泰莎的女孩。“除非那男孩知道妓女的去处。”

The girl’s mouth

tightened. She despises me, he realized, but no more than I despise myself.

That he had fucked many a woman who loathed the very sight of him, Tyrion

Lannister had no doubt, but the others had at least the grace to feign

affection. A little honest loathing might be refreshing, like a tart wine after

too much sweet.那女孩绷紧了嘴。他意识到她对自己的鄙视，不过这比不上我对自己的厌恶。提利昂·兰尼斯特从不怀疑，他玩过的女人一见他的样子都会心生厌恶，但至少别人还能装出一副脉脉温情。少许坦白的厌恶或许倒挺新鲜，就像喝多了甜酒以后来一杯酸酒。

“I believe I have changed my mind,” he told her. “Wait for me abed.

Naked, if you please, I’ll be a deal too drunk to fumble at your clothing. Keep

your mouth shut and your thighs open and the two of us should get on splendidly.”

He gave her a leer, hoping for a taste of fear, but all she gave him was

revulsion. No one fears a dwarf. Even Lord Tywin had not been afraid, though

Tyrion had held a crossbow in his hands. “Do you moan when you are being fucked?” he asked the bedwarmer.“我想我改主意了，”他告诉她。“在床上等着我。如果你愿意的话，别穿衣服。我想我会醉得脱不了你的衣服。闭上嘴巴，张开双腿，我们会玩得很尽兴的。”他色迷迷的看了她一眼，希望能看到一丝害怕的神色，但得到的只有极度厌恶的表情。没人会怕一个侏儒；就连当初提利昂手持十字弓的时候，泰温大人也没有害怕。“你被干的时候会呻吟吗？”他问这个床伴。

“If it please m’lord.”“如果能让大人高兴的话。”

“It might please m’lord to strangle you. That’s how I served my last whore. Do you think your master would object?

Surely not. He has a hundred more like you, but no one else like me.” This time, when he grinned, he got the fear

he wanted.“或许勒死你会让大人高兴。我就是那样处置我的上一个婊子的。你认为你的主人会反对吗？当然不会。你这样的人他还有一百多个，可我只有一个。”他咧嘴笑了，这一次，他得到了想要的恐惧。

Illyrio was

reclining on a padded couch, gobbling hot peppers and pearl onions from a

wooden bowl. His brow was dotted with beads of sweat, his pig’s eyes shining

above his fat cheeks. Jewels danced when he moved his hands; onyx and opal,

tiger’s eye and tourmaline, ruby, amethyst, sapphire, emerald, jet and jade, a

black diamond, and a green pearl. I could live for years on his rings, Tyrion

mused, though I’d need a cleaver

to claim them.伊利里欧正靠在一张软椅上，大口吃着木碗里盛的辣椒和珍珠洋葱。他的眉毛上挂着不少汗珠，胖脸上闪着一双猪眼。他挥动双手的时候，只见一堆珠宝在跳动：有玛瑙、翡翠、碧玺、黑玉、碧玉，有猫眼石、虎睛石、红宝石、蓝宝石、紫水晶，还有一颗黑珍珠和一颗绿珍珠。他的戒指足够我好几年的生活，提利昂心道，不过要把杀猪刀才取得下来。

“Come sit, my little friend.” Illyrio waved him closer.“过来坐下，我的小朋友”，伊利里欧招手让他过去。

The dwarf

clambered up onto a chair. It was much too big for him, a cushioned throne

intended to accommodate the magister’s massive buttocks, with thick sturdy legs

to bear his weight. Tyrion Lannister had lived all his life in a world that was

too big for him, but in the manse of Illyrio Mopatis the sense of disproportion

assumed grotesque dimensions. I am a mouse in a mammoth’s lair, he mused, though at least the mammoth

keeps a good cellar. The thought made him thirsty. He called for wine.侏儒爬上了一把椅子。对他来说，这椅子太大了，这张铺着垫子的宝座原本是要容纳总督那肥实的屁股，粗实的椅脚也是要承受他的体重。对提利昂·兰尼斯特来说，他生活的世界已经太大了，而在伊利里欧·摩帕提斯的宅子里，这一切更是大得离谱。我是猛犸巢穴里的一只老鼠，他心道，不过幸好这只猛犸象有个不错的酒窖。这想法令他觉得口渴，他叫了酒。

“Did you enjoy the girl I sent you?” Illyrio asked. “If I had wanted a girl I would have asked for one.”“我派给你的那个女孩，你还满意吧？”伊利里欧问道。“如果我需要女人，我会提出来的。”

“If she failed to please …”“如果她没能让你满意的话…”

“She did all that was required of her.”“该做的她都做了。”

“I would hope so. She was trained in Lys, where they make an art of

love. The king enjoyed her greatly.”“希望如此。她是在里斯训练出来的，在那他们创造了一种爱的艺术。国王对她非常满意。”

“I kill kings, hadn’t you heard?” Tyrion smiled evilly over his wine cup. “I want no royal leavings.”“我是个弑君者，你没听说过吗？”提利昂坏笑着喝了口酒。“我可不要什么国王的剩货。”

“As you wish. Let us eat.” Illyrio clapped his hands together, and serving men came running.“如你所愿。我们开饭吧。”伊利里欧拍了拍手，侍从们立即忙活起来。

They began with

a broth of crab and monkfish, and cold egg lime soup as well. Then came quails

in honey, a saddle of lamb, goose livers drowned in wine, buttered parsnips,

and suckling pig. The sight of it all made Tyrion feel queasy, but he forced

himself to try a spoon of soup for the sake of politeness, and once he had

tasted it he was lost. The cooks might be old and fat, but they knew their

business. He had never eaten so well, even at court.先上的是一道由螃蟹和安康鱼熬的汤，以及一份鸡蛋和莱姆果的凉汤。接着上来的有蜜制鹌鹑、羊羔腰肉、酒浸鹅肝、奶油胡萝卜，还有一份乳猪。这些菜的样子全让提利昂倒足了胃口。出于礼貌，他强迫自己尝了一勺凉汤，谁知一口下去，他竟然控制不住食欲了。那些厨师或许是又老又胖，不过活却做得很棒。即使在宫廷宴会上，他也从没吃得如此津津有味。

As he was

sucking the meat off the bones of his quail, he asked Illyrio about the

morning’s summons. The fat man shrugged. “There are troubles in the east.

Astapor has fallen, and Meereen. Ghiscari slave cities that were old when the

world was young.” The suckling pig was carved. Illyrio reached for a piece of

the crackling, dipped it in a plum sauce, and ate it with his fingers.他一面把只鹌鹑啃个精光，一面向伊利里欧询问今早议会的事情。那胖子耸了耸肩说道：“东面有些麻烦。阿斯塔泊陷落了，弥林也一样。当这里还是个新兴世界时，吉斯帝国就已经奴役那些城市很久了。”乳猪是切好的；伊利里欧拿了一块，蘸了些梅子酱，用手抓着就吃开了。

“Slaver’s Bay is a long way from Pentos.” Tyrion speared a goose liver on the point of his knife. No man is

as cursed as the kinslayer, he mused, but I could learn to like this hell.“奴隶湾离潘托斯很远”，提利昂用刀插起一块鹅肝说道。没人受的诅咒能和弑亲者相比，他心想，但我能学着去享受它。

“This is so,” Illyrio agreed, “but the world is one great web, and a man dare not touch a single

strand lest all the others tremble. More wine?” Illyrio popped a pepper into his mouth. “No, something better.” He clapped his hands together.“是这样”，伊利里欧也同意，“不过这世界本是一张大网，牵一发而动全局，没人敢轻举妄动。再来点酒？”伊利里欧把一只辣椒塞进嘴里。“不，那再吃点。”他拍拍手。

At the sound a

serving man entered with a covered dish. He placed it in front of Tyrion, and

Illyrio leaned across the table to remove the lid. “Mushrooms,” the magister

announced, as the smell wafted up. “Kissed with garlic and bathed in butter. I

am told the taste is exquisite. Have one, my friend. Have two.”随着掌声，一个端着盖住的盘子的仆人走了进来。他把盘子放在提利昂面前，伊利里欧从桌上探过身子来，掀开盖子。“蘑菇，”总督宣布，香味弥漫出来。“添加了大蒜，经过黄油的浸泡。我告诉你，那味道绝啦。吃一个，我的朋友，就会想两个。”

Tyrion had a fat

black mushroom halfway to his mouth, but something in Illyrio’s voice made him stop abruptly. “After you, my lord.” He pushed the dish toward his host.提利昂已经把一块肥厚的蘑菇送到了嘴边，但伊利里欧语气中某些东西让他突然停了下来。“您先尝尝，大人。”他把盘子推销他的东道主。

“No, no.” Magister Illyrio pushed the mushrooms back. For a heartbeat it

seemed as if a mischievous boy was peering out from inside the cheese-monger’s bloated flesh. “After you. I insist. Cook made them specially

for you.”“不，不。”总督伊利里欧把蘑菇推了回来。有那么一瞬间，这个满身肥肉的奶酪贩子好像变成了一个顽皮的孩子。“您先请，我坚持。是厨子专门为您烹制的。”

“Did she indeed?” He remembered the cook, the flour on her hands, heavy breasts shot

through with dark blue veins. “That was kind of her, but … no.” Tyrion eased the

mushroom back into the lake of butter from which it had emerged.“是她的想法？”他记得那个厨子，她手上沾着面粉，厚重的胸部透着深蓝色的纹理。“她真善良，但是…不。”提利昂轻松地把那个蘑菇扔进那黄油汤中。

“You are too suspicious.” Illyrio smiled through his forked yellow beard. Oiled every morning

to make it gleam like gold, Tyrion suspected. “Are you craven? I had not heard that of you.”“您真令人惊讶。”伊利里欧透过那分叉的黄胡子微笑着。每天早上抹在上面的油让它看起来金闪闪的。“你怕啦？我可听说你不是这样的人。”

“In the Seven Kingdoms it is considered a grave breach of hospitality

to poison your guest at supper.”“在七大王国，在款待宾客的晚宴上毒死他会被视作滔天罪行。”

“Here as well.” Illyrio Mopatis reached for his wine cup. “Yet when a

guest plainly wishes to end his own life, why, his host must oblige him, no?”

He took a gulp. “Magister Ordello was poisoned by a mushroom not half a year

ago. The pain is not so much, I am told. Some cramping in the gut, a sudden

ache behind the eyes, and it is done. Better a mushroom than a sword through

your neck, is it not so? Why die with the taste of blood in your mouth when it

could be butter and garlic?”“在这也同样。”伊利里欧伸手也拿他的酒杯。“就算一个宾客打算终结自己的性命时也是如此。为什么这样，东道主应该满足他的客人，不是吗？”他咽下一大口酒。“不到半年前，奥德洛总督被毒死了。我听说没太多痛苦。肠子有些绞痛，眼底疼一下，然后就完了。一个蘑菇和割过你脖子的一把剑比起来好多了，不是吗？为什么满嘴鲜血的死去，塞满黄油和大蒜岂不更好？”

The dwarf

studied the dish before him. The smell of garlic and butter had his mouth

watering. Some part of him wanted those mushrooms, even knowing what they were.

He was not brave enough to take cold steel to his own belly, but a bite of

mushroom would not be so hard. That frightened him more than he could say. “You mistake me,” he heard himself say.侏儒盯着面前的盘子。黄油和大蒜的香味令他流出口水。就算知道它们是什么了，他还是有点想吃这些蘑菇。他没有足够的勇气往自己的肚皮插上冰冷的钢剑，但咬一个口蘑菇看起来不算难事。这想法更令他觉得恐惧。“你看错我了，”他听到自己说。

“Is it so? I wonder. If you would sooner drown in wine, say the word

and it shall be done, and quickly. Drowning cup by cup wastes time and wine

both.”“是吗？如果你想淹死在酒里，只要说出来，马上就能办到。一杯杯的灌死自己，既浪费酒也浪费时间。”

“You mistake me,” Tyrion said again, more loudly. The buttered

mushrooms glistened in the lamplight, dark and inviting. “I have no wish to

die, I promise you. I have …” His voice trailed off into uncertainty. What do I

have? A life to live? Work to do? Children to raise, lands to rule, a woman to

love?“你看错我了，”提利昂又说了一遍，声音大了一些。在灯光下，那些蘑菇看起来黑色诱人。“我没打算要死，我向你保证。我还有…”他的声音变得迟疑了。我还有什么？一条活下去的性命？要去做的事情？要去抚养的孩子，去管辖的封地，去爱恋的女人？

“You have nothing,” finished Magister Illyrio, “but we can change that.” He plucked a mushroom from the butter, and chewed it lustily. “Delicious.”“你一无所有，”伊利里欧总督帮他说完，“但我们能改变它。”他从黄油中叉起一只蘑菇，用力地咀嚼着。“真是美味。”

“The mushrooms are not poisoned.” Tyrion was irritated.“这些蘑菇没有毒。”提利昂恼怒了。

“No. Why should I wish you ill?” Magister Illyrio ate another. “We must show a little trust, you and I. Come, eat.” He clapped his hands again. “We have work to do. My little friend must keep

his strength up.”“没有。为什么我要去害你？”伊利里欧总督嚼着另一只。“我们相互之间必须给出一点信任。来，吃吧。”他又拍了下手。“我们还有事情要做。我的小朋友必须保持他的强壮。”

The serving men

brought out a heron stuffed with figs, veal cutlets blanched with almond milk,

creamed herring, candied onions, foul-smelling cheeses, plates of snails and

sweetbreads, and a black swan in her plumage. Tyrion refused the swan, which

reminded him of a supper with his sister. He helped himself to heron and

herring, though, and a few of the sweet onions. And the serving men filled his

wine cup anew each time he emptied it.仆人们陆续一只填满无花果的鹭鸶、用杏仁奶泡过的小牛肉饼、奶油烹制的鲱鱼、糖拌的洋葱、臭烘烘的奶酪、几盘蜗牛和杂碎，还有一只带着毛的黑天鹅。提利昂没有碰那道黑天鹅，因为那令他想起和姐姐共进的一次晚餐。不过他倒是吃了点鹭鸶、鲱鱼和几个甜甜的洋葱。每次喝完酒，都会有侍从替他满上。

“You drink a deal of wine for such a little man.”“以你的小身板来说，你的酒量很大了。”

“Kinslaying is dry work. It gives a man a thirst.”“弑亲是件枯燥的事，它让人口渴。”

The fat man’s eyes glittered like the gemstones on his

fingers. “There are those in

Westeros who would say that killing Lord Lannister was merely a good beginning.”那胖子的眼睛闪闪发光，就像他手上的宝石。“维斯特洛有人说，兰尼斯特大人的死不过是个好的开始。”

“They had best not say it in my sister’s hearing, or they will find themselves short a tongue.” The dwarf tore a loaf of bread in half. “And you had best be careful what you say of my

family, magister. Kinslayer or no, I am a lion still.”“他们最好别让我的姐姐听到，否则就会发现自己少截舌头，”侏儒？？一条面包掰成两半说道。“而且谈到我的家族时，你最好小心，总督。不管是不是弑亲者，我仍然是头狮子。”

That seemed to

amuse the lord of cheese no end. He slapped a meaty thigh and said, “You

Westerosi are all the same. You sew some beast upon a scrap of silk, and

suddenly you are all lions or dragons or eagles. I can take you to a real lion,

my little friend. The prince keeps a pride in his menagerie. Would you like to

share a cage with them?”这话似乎给了那位奶酪领主无穷的乐趣。他拍了拍肥实的大腿说道：“你们这些维斯特洛人都是那样。在一块丝绸上绣只猛兽，转眼间你们就都成了狮子、巨龙或者雄鹰。我可以带你去找一头真正的狮子，我的小朋友。亲王的动物园里有一大群。你愿意跟它们分享一个笼子吗？”

The lords of the

Seven Kingdoms did make rather much of their sigils, Tyrion had to admit. “Very well,” he conceded. “A Lannister is not a lion. Yet I am still my father’s son, and Jaime and Cersei are mine to kill.”提利昂不得不承认，七国的领主们确实太过看重他们的纹章了。“很好”，他让步道，“兰尼斯特不是什么狮子。但我还是我父亲的儿子，另外要杀詹姆和瑟曦也得由我来杀。”

“How odd that you should mention your fair sister,” said Illyrio, between snails. “The queen has offered a lordship to the man

who brings her your head, no matter how humble his birth.”“真是奇怪，你竟会提到你那美貌的姐姐。”伊利里欧吃了只蜗牛说道。“太后已经承诺，只要有人能带去你的人头，不管他的出身多么卑贱，都能受封为领主。”

It was no more

than Tyrion had expected. “If you mean to take her up on it, make her spread her legs for you

as well. The best part of me for the best part of her, that’s a fair trade.”提利昂所想的也不过如此。“如果你打算要她兑现承诺的话，让她也为你张开双腿吧。我最好的东西来换她最好的东西，那才是公平交易。”

“I would sooner have mine own weight in gold.” The cheesemonger laughed so hard that Tyrion

feared he was about to rupture. “All the gold in Casterly Rock, why not?”“我倒宁愿要跟我等重的黄金。”那个奶酪贩子放声大笑，提利昂真担心他会笑破肚子。“凯岩城所有的黄金，干嘛不做？”

“The gold I grant you,” the dwarf said, relieved that he was not about to drown in a gout

of half-digested eels and sweetmeats, “but the Rock is mine.”“我会给你金子，”侏儒说道，欣慰地看到他不会淹死在一堆还没消化的鳗鱼肉和羊杂碎之中。“但凯岩城是我的。”

“Just so.” The magister covered his mouth and belched a mighty belch. “Do you think King Stannis will give it to you?

I am told he is a great one for the law. Your brother wears the white cloak, so

you are heir by all the laws of Westeros.”“正是如此。”总督掩着嘴打了个大大的饱嗝。“你认为史坦尼斯国王会给你吗？我听说他可是个恪守法律的国王。他完全可能把凯岩城给你，不是那样吗？你的哥哥已经披上白袍，所以按照维斯特洛的任何法律，你都是你父亲的继承人。”

“Stannis might well grant me Casterly Rock,” said Tyrion, “but for the small matter of regicide and kinslaying. For those he

would shorten me by a head, and I am short enough as I stand. But why would you

think I mean to join Lord Stannis?”“史坦尼斯也许会给我凯岩城，”提利昂承认道，“不过弑君和弑亲会有些小问题，他会为此而砍掉我的脑袋。我现在已经够矮了。不过你怎么会认为我会投靠史坦尼斯？”

“Why else would you go the Wall?”“你还有什么其他理由要去长城吗？”

“Stannis is at the Wall?” Tyrion rubbed at his nose. “What in seven bloody hells is Stannis doing at the Wall?”“史坦尼斯现在在长城？”提利昂揉了揉鼻子说道，“该死的七重地狱，史坦尼斯正在长城做什么？”

“Shivering, I would think. It is warmer down in Dorne. Perhaps he

should have sailed that way.”“正冻得发抖，我想的话。多恩要暖和点。也许他该乘船去那里。”

Tyrion was

beginning to suspect that a certain freckled washerwoman knew more of the

Common Speech than she pretended. “My niece Myrcella is in Dorne, as it happens. And I have half a mind

to make her a queen.”提利昂开始怀疑某个长着雀斑的洗衣女并不象她装的那样，对通用语一窍不通。“碰巧我的外甥女弥赛菈在多恩。而且我在犹豫是不是要她做女王。”

Illyrio smiled

as his serving men spooned out bowls of black cherries in sweet cream for them

both. “What has this

poor child done to you that you would wish her dead?”侍从替二人各盛了碗浸在甜奶油中的黑草莓。伊利里欧笑着说道。“这个可怜的孩子怎么得罪过你？你会希望她送命？”

“Even a kinslayer is not required to slay all his kin,” said Tyrion, wounded. “Queen her, I said. Not kill her.”“就算是弑亲者也不用干掉自己所有亲人，”提利昂带着受伤地语气说道，“我说的是让她称王，不是让她送命。”

The cheesemonger

spooned up cherries. “In Volantis they use a coin with a crown on one face and

a death’s-head on the other. Yet it is the same coin. To queen her is to kill

her. Dorne might rise for Myrcella, but Dorne alone is not enough. If you are

as clever as our friend insists, you know this.”那个奶酪贩子舀起一勺草莓。“瓦兰提斯有一种钱币，一面是皇冠，一面则是死神头像。这是在同一枚硬币之上的。让她称王就是让她送命。多恩或许会为弥赛菈而战，但是仅靠多恩是不够的。如果你真的象我们那个朋友声称的那样聪明，你应该了解这点。”

Tyrion looked at

the fat man with new interest. He is right on both counts. To queen her is to

kill her. And I knew that. “Futile gestures are all that remain to me. This one would make my

sister weep bitter tears, at least.”提利昂重新审视着这个胖子。这两点他都说对了。让她称王就是让她送命，我也知道。“我现在只剩下些徒劳无功的办法了。至少这个办法会让我的姐姐哭得更伤心。”

Magister Illyrio

wiped sweet cream from his mouth with the back of a fat hand. “The road to Casterly Rock does not go through

Dorne, my little friend. Nor does it run beneath the Wall. Yet there is such a

road, I tell you.”伊利里欧总督用他肥胖的手背擦了擦嘴上的奶油。“通往凯岩之路不会途经多恩，我的小朋友。它也不穿过长城。但我告诉你，这条路是有的。”

“I am an attainted traitor, a regicide, and kinslayer.” This talk of roads annoyed him. Does he think

this is a game?“我是一个已被定罪的叛徒，弑君弑亲之人。”这番关于道路的话让他有些恼怒。他认为这是个游戏吗？

“What one king does, another may undo. In Pentos we have a prince, my

friend. He presides at ball and feast and rides about the city in a palanquin

of ivory and gold. Three heralds go before him with the golden scales of trade,

the iron sword of war, and the silver scourge of justice. On the first day of

each new year he must deflower the maid of the fields and the maid of the

seas.” Illyrio leaned forward, elbows on the table. “Yet should a crop fail or

a war be lost, we cut his throat to appease the gods and choose a new prince

from amongst the forty families.”“一个国王所做的一切会被另一个国王完全推翻。我的朋友，在潘托斯我们有位亲王。舞会和晚宴时他高高在上，出巡时他坐着黄金和象牙的大轿。他身前会有三位掌礼官员，分别擎着象征贸易的金天平，象征战争的铁剑和象征司法的银鞭。每年的元旦他必须为献祭给这块土地和海洋的处女开苞。”伊利里欧双手撑着桌子，俯身过来。“不过如果收成很糟或是战争失利的话，我们就会割断他的脖子，以此平息神怒。然后再从四十个家族中挑选新的亲王。”

“Remind me never to become the Prince of Pentos.”“记得提醒我千万别当潘托斯的亲王。”

“Are your Seven Kingdoms so different? There is no peace in Westeros,

no justice, no faith … and soon enough, no food. When men are starving and sick of fear,

they look for a savior.”“你们七大王国有什么不同吗？现在的维斯特洛没有和平，没有公正，没有信念…很快也会没有粮食。当人们忍饥挨饿，厌倦恐惧的时候，他们会寻找一个救世主。”

“They may look, but if all they find is Stannis—”“也许他们会，但如果他们只能找到史坦尼斯的话—”

“Not Stannis. Nor Myrcella.” The yellow smile widened. “Another. Stronger than Tommen, gentler than Stannis, with a better

claim than the girl Myrcella. A savior come from across the sea to bind up the

wounds of bleeding Westeros.”“不是史坦尼斯。也不是弥赛菈。”那满嘴黄牙的笑口咧得更开了。“另外一人。比托曼强大，比史坦尼斯温和，比弥赛菈这女孩更有称王的资格。一个远渡重洋，来为流血的维斯特洛疗伤的救世主。”

“Fine words.” Tyrion was unimpressed. “Words are wind. Who is this bloody savior?”“很棒的措辞”，提利昂不为所动地说道，“不过措辞跟空气一样。这个混帐救世主到底是谁？”

“A dragon.” The cheesemonger saw the look on his face at that, and laughed. “A dragon with three heads.”“一条龙。”那个奶酪贩子看到了他脸上的反应，大笑起来。“一条有着三个头的龙。”