Mormont rounded on him. "So you believe this is Mance Rayder's work? This close to the Wall?"
莫尔蒙语带挑衅地对他说:“那依你之见,这是曼斯·雷德干的好事?在离长城这么近的地方?”
Who else, my lord?
“大人,不然还有谁呢?”
Jon could have told him. He knew, they all knew, yet no man of them would say the words. The Others are only a story, a tale to make children shiver. If they ever lived at all, they are gone eight thousand years. Even the thought made him feel foolish; he was a man grown now, a black brother of the Night's Watch, not the boy who'd once sat at Old Nan's feet with Bran and Robb and Arya.
答案连琼恩都说得出。不仅他知道,大家都很清楚,但没有人愿意说出口。异鬼只是故事,用来吓小孩的传说。就算他们真的存在,也是八千年前的事。光是产生这个念头都教他觉得愚蠢:他是个成年人,是守夜人的黑衣弟兄,已非当年与布兰、罗柏和艾莉亚一同坐在老奶妈脚边的小男孩啦。
Yet Lord Commander Mormont gave a snort. "If Ben Stark had come under wildling attack a half day's ride from Castle Black, he would have returned for more men, chased the killers through all seven hells and brought me back their heads."
但莫尔蒙司令哼了一声:“假如班·史塔克在距离黑城堡只有半天骑程的地方遭到野人攻击,他定会回来增调人马,追那些杀人犯到七层地狱,把他们的首级带来给我。”
Unless he was slain as well, Sir Jaremy insisted.
“除非连他自己也遇害。”杰瑞米爵士坚持。
The words hurt, even now. It had been so long, it seemed folly to cling to the hope that Ben Stark was still alive, but Jon Snow was nothing if not stubborn.
即使到现在,听到这些话依然令人心痛。过了这么久,期望班·史塔克还活着无异自欺欺人,但琼恩·雪诺别的没有,就是固执。
It has been close on half a year since Benjen left us, my lord, Sir Jaremy went on. "The forest is vast. The wildlings might have fallen on him anywhere. I'd wager these two were the last survivors of his party, on their way back to us... but the enemy caught them before they could reach the safety of the Wall.
“大人,班扬离开我们已快半年,”杰瑞米爵士续道,“森林广阔,随处可能遭野人偷袭。我敢打赌,这两个是他队伍最后的幸存者,本准备回来找我们……只可惜在抵达长城之前被敌人追上。