Reproaches would not serve here, however.
然而现在说什么都无济于事了,
All she said was, “Tell me how this came to be.”
她只问,“告诉我,这一切是怎么发生的。”
“I took her castle and she took my heart.”
“我攻占了她的城堡,她则攻占了我的心。”
Robb smiled.
罗柏微笑。
“The Crag was weakly garrisoned, so we took it by storm one night.
“峭岩城守备很弱,因此我们猛攻一晚就告成功。
Black Walder and the Smalljon led scaling parties over the walls, while I broke the main gate with a ram.
当时黑瓦德和小琼恩带队攀登城墙,我则督促攻城锤突击主城门。
I took an arrow in the arm just before Ser Rolph yielded us the castle.
就在罗佛爵士献城投降时,我手上中了一箭。
It seemed nothing at first, but it festered.
起初觉得没什么,但很快感染了。
Jeyne had me taken to her own bed, and she nursed me until the fever passed.
简妮让人把我抬到她床上,照料我直到退烧。
And she was with me when the Greatjon brought me the news of … of Winterfell. Bran and Rickon.”
期间大琼恩带来消息,关于……关于临冬城……关于布兰和瑞肯。她和我在一起。”
He seemed to have trouble saying his brothers’ names.
说出弟弟们的名字,对他而言似乎很困难。
“That night, she … she comforted me, Mother.”
“那一夜……那一夜,她……她安慰我,母亲。”
Catelyn did not need to be told what sort of comfort Jeyne Westerling had offered her son.
凯特琳不用说也明白简妮·维斯特林给她儿子的是什么样的安慰。
“And you wed her the next day.”
“你第二天就娶了她。”
He looked her in the eyes, proud and miserable all at once.
他望进她的眼睛,目光既骄傲又酸楚,
“It was the only honorable thing to do.
“惟有这么做,才能保持荣誉。
She’s gentle and sweet, Mother, she will make me a good wife.”
她既温柔又甜蜜,母亲,真的,她会成为我的好妻子。”
“Perhaps. That will not appease Lord Frey.”
“也许会吧,但这件事是不会让佛雷侯爵满意的。”
“I know,” her son said, stricken.
“我明白,”儿子倍感挫折地说,
“I’ve made a botch of everything but the battles, haven’t I?
“除了打仗,我把一切都搞砸了,不是吗?
I thought the battles would be the hard part, but …
我真的以为打仗最困难,可……
if I had listened to you and kept Theon as my hostage, I’d still rule the north, and Bran and Rickon would be alive and safe in Winterfell.”
如果我听你的话,把席恩留做人质,就能保住北境,布兰和瑞肯就会活下来,安全地待在临冬城里。”
“Perhaps. Or not.
“也许会,也许不会。
Lord Balon might still have chanced war.
不管有没有席恩,巴隆大王都可能发动战争。
The last time he reached for a crown, it cost him two sons.
别忘了,上次他为王冠付出了两个儿子,
He might have thought it a bargain to lose only one this time.”
这次只需一个,或许会觉得是笔不错的买卖。”
She touched his arm.
她碰碰他的手臂。
“What happened with the Freys, after you wed?”
“你结婚之后,佛雷家的人有何反应?”
Robb shook his head.
罗柏摇摇头。
“With Ser Stevron, I might have been able to make amends,
“如果史提夫伦爵士还在,好歹可以提出补偿,
but Ser Ryman is dull-witted as a stone, and Black Walder …
但莱曼爵士跟石头一样呆板,而黑瓦德……
that one was not named for the color of his beard, I promise you.
那家伙叫这个名字决不是因为胡子的颜色,我向你保证。
He went so far as to say that his sisters would not be loath to wed a widower.
他太过分!居然宣称他的姑婆们不介意跟鳏夫成婚。
I would have killed him for that if Jeyne had not begged me to be merciful.”
若非简妮求我慈悲,我早宰了他!”
“You have done House Frey a grievous insult, Robb.”
“你狠狠地侮辱了佛雷家族,罗柏。”
“I never meant to.
“这不是我的本意。
Ser Stevron died for me, and Olyvar was as loyal a squire as any king could want.
史提夫伦爵士为我战死,而奥利法做侍从忠勇可嘉,
He asked to stay with me, but Ser Ryman took him with the rest.
甚至请求继续留在我身边,最后是被莱曼爵士强行带走。
All their strength.
他还带走了他们家所有的部队。
The Greatjon urged me to attack them …”
大琼恩催促我加以攻击……”
“Fighting your own in the midst of your enemies?” she said.
“强敌环饲,还要窝里斗?”她说,
“It would have been the end of you.”
“简直胡说八道!”
“Yes.
“我也不赞成……
I thought perhaps we could arrange other matches for Lord Walder’s daughters.
也许我们可以为瓦德侯爵的女儿安排其他人选。
Ser Wendel Manderly has offered to take one, and the Greatjon tells me his uncles wish to wed again.
文德尔·曼德勒提议代我成婚,大琼恩则说他的叔父们希望续弦。
If Lord Walder will be reasonable—”
如果瓦德侯爵通情达理——”
“He is not reasonable,” said Catelyn.
“他根本就不会‘通情达理’,”凯特琳道,
“He is proud, and prickly to a fault.
“他这人既骄傲又暴躁,受不得半点轻慢。
You know that.
你明知
He wanted to be grandfather to a king.
他想成为国王的岳父,
You will not appease him with the offer of two hoary old brigands and the second son of the fattest man in the Seven Kingdoms.
现在却硬塞给他两个年迈的老家伙和七国最大的胖子的次子,如何能让他满足?
Not only have you broken your oath, but you’ve slighted the honor of the Twins by choosing a bride from a lesser house.”
你可要想清楚,违背誓约是一层,娶一家小诸侯的姑娘为妻这件事本身就是对孪河城极大的轻侮。”
Robb bristled at that.
这番话让罗柏激动起来。
“The Westerlings are better blood than the Freys.
“维斯特林家族的血脉远比佛雷家族古老,
They’re an ancient line, descended from the First Men.
他们渊源悠久,乃是先民的后裔。
The Kings of the Rock sometimes wed Westerlings before the Conquest,
征服战争之前,历代凯岩王常与维斯特林家族通婚,
and there was another Jeyne Westerling who was queen to King Maegor three hundred years ago.”
而在近三百年前,另一位简妮·维斯特林当过梅葛王的王后。”
“All of which will only salt Lord Walder’s wounds.
“所有这一切都在往瓦德侯爵的伤口上洒盐啊。
It has always rankled him that older houses look down on the Freys as upstarts.
他最恨这些世家名门,恨他们把佛雷家当暴发户。
This insult is not the first he’s borne, to hear him tell it.
我到孪河城谈判那回,他已经表现得很明显了,
Jon Arryn was disinclined to foster his grandsons, and my father refused the offer of one of his daughters for Edmure.”
他恨琼恩·艾林不愿收养他的孙子,更恨我父亲拒绝让艾德慕迎娶他的女儿。”
She inclined her head toward her brother as he rejoined them.
弟弟办事回来,她朝他点点头。
“Your Grace,” Brynden Blackfish said,
“陛下,”黑鱼布林登说,
“perhaps we had best continue this in private.”
“这事我们还是找个私密地点从长计议吧。”
“Yes.” Robb sounded tired.
“是的,”罗柏听上去很疲惫,
“I would kill for a cup of wine.
“天啊,我只想喝一杯红酒。
The audience chamber, I think.”
我们去会客室。”