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“I understand,” Ned said softly.
「我了解。」奈德輕輕地說。
Robert looked at him. “I think you do. If so, you are the only one, my old friend.” He smiled. “Lord Eddard Stark, I would name you the Hand of the King.”
勞勃看著他說：「老朋友，我想也只有你能夠了解了。」他面帶微笑道：「艾德·史塔克大人，我將任命你為御前首相。」
Ned dropped to one knee. The offer did not surprise him; what other reason could Robert have had for coming so far? The Hand of the King was the second-most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms. He spoke with the king’s voice, commanded the king’s armies, drafted the king’s laws. At times he even sat upon the Iron Throne to dispense king’s justice, when the king was absent, or sick, or otherwise indisposed. Robert was offering him a responsibility as large as the realm itself. It was the last thing in the world he wanted.
奈德單膝跪下。他并不感到意外，除了這個原因，勞勃還會為了什麼千里迢迢北上呢？御前首相是七大王國中一人之下，萬人之上的顯赫要職，他代國王發號施舍，統御三軍，執掌司法。遇到國王缺席、生病或其他突發事件，他甚至會坐上鐵王座，實際統治國家。勞勃等於是將王國交到他手中。而這卻是他最最不想要的。
“Your Grace,” he said. “I am not worthy of the honor.”
「陛下，」他說：「恐怕我的能力不足以勝任此等要職。」
Robert groaned with good-humored impatience. “If I wanted to honor you, I’d let you retire. I am planning to make you run the kingdom and fight the wars while I eat and drink and wench myself into an early grave.” He slapped his gut and grinned. “You know the saying, about the king and his Hand?”
勞勃高興地發出一聲佯裝不耐的咕噥聲說：「如果我更為你著想，我會讓你退休的。我打算讓你來治理國家，帶兵打仗，而我自己呢？則痛痛快快地吃喝玩樂，嫖個過癮。他拍拍肚皮，嘿嘿笑道：「你知道那句形容國王和首相的諺語吧？」
Ned knew the saying. “What the king dreams,” he said, “the Hand builds.”
奈德當然知道。「國王作夢，」他說：「首相筑夢。」
“I bedded a fishmaid once who told me the lowborn have a choicer way to put it. The king eats, they say, and the Hand takes the shit.” He threw back his head and roared his laughter. The echoes rang through the darkness, and all around them the dead of Winterfell seemed to watch with cold and disapproving eyes.
「有個跟我上過床的漁家女孩告訴我，說她們中下階層的百姓有個更妙的比喻：國王吃飯，首相清屎。」這句話一說完，他仰頭狂笑，回音響徹黑暗，四面八方的臨冬城死者似乎很不以為然地冷眼旁觀。
讀物介紹：
《權力的游戲》是一部中世紀史詩奇幻題材的電視連續劇。該劇以美國作家喬治·R·R·馬丁的奇幻巨作《冰與火之歌》七部曲為基礎改編創作，由大衛·貝尼奧夫和丹尼爾·威斯編劇、HBO電視網推出。本劇第一季于2011年4月17日開播，第二季于2012年4月1日回歸，第三季于2013年3月31日開始播出，第四季已獲得預定，將在2014年春季回歸。
