“He will not cross,” Ned promised. “And if by some mischance he does, we will throw him back into the sea. Once you choose a new Warden of the East...”
"他渡不了海的。"奈德保證,"就算他真來了,我們也能協力把他趕回去。等你任命好新的東境守護——"
The king groaned. “For the last time, I will not name the Arryn boy Warden. I know the boy is your nephew, but with Targaryens climbing in bed with Dothraki, I would be mad to rest one quarter of the realm on the shoulders of a sickly child.”
國王呻吟道:"我說最后一遍,我不會讓艾林家那小毛頭繼任東境守護。我知道那孩子是你外甥,但現在坦格利安家和多斯拉克人上了床,我瘋了才會把統領王國四分之一軍隊的重任交給一個體弱多病的小男孩來扛。"
Ned was ready for that. “Yet we still must have a Warden of the East. If Robert Arryn will not do, name one of your brothers. Stannis proved himself at the siege of Storm’s End, surely.”
奈德早知他會有此答復。"但必須有人出來擔任東境守護不可。假如勞勃·艾林不足以勝任,那就讓你的兄弟之一來接手罷。史坦尼斯在風息堡之圍一役中已經展現出他的才能,相信他應該沒問題。"
He let the name hang there for a moment. The king frowned and said nothing. He looked uncomfortable.
他讓史坦尼斯的名字在空氣中懸宕了一會兒,國王皺皺眉,沒有答腔,看起來不太舒服。
“That is,” Ned finished quietly, watching, “unless you have already promised the honor to another.”
"當然,"奈德輕聲續道,靜觀其變。"倘若你已把這個職位許給了別人,那就另當別論。"
For a moment Robert had the grace to look startled. Just as quickly, the look became annoyance. “What if I have?”
起初勞勃露出吃驚的神色,但隨即轉為不悅:"假如真是這樣呢?"
“It’s Jaime Lannister, is it not?”
"詹姆·蘭尼斯特,對吧?"
Robert kicked his horse back into motion and started down the ridge toward the barrows. Ned kept pace with him. The king rode on, eyes straight ahead. “Yes,” he said at last. A single hard word to end the matter.
勞勃一夾馬肚,朝山瘠下的荒冢馳去,奈德緊隨在旁。國王徑自騎行,兩眼直視前方。"對。"最后他總算開了口,仿佛要用這一個字來結束議題。
背景介紹:
《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。喬治·雷蒙德·理查德·馬丁是歐美奇幻小說大師。馬丁的作品主要以人物為關注點,描寫細膩豐富,突破了幻想文學界固有的創作模式,多次引領閱讀潮流。由于馬丁的輝煌成就,他被譽為美國的托爾金和新世紀的海明威。從1989年開始,馬丁淡出文學界,轉而投身演藝界發展,1996年他才重返文壇而開始奇幻文學的創作,處女作便是《權力的游戲》,即為《冰與火之歌》的首部曲。《權力的游戲》甫出便拿下了British Fantasy Society、 世界奇幻獎和星云獎年度最佳幻想作品提名,在非官方的不記名奇幻作品投票中,《冰與火之歌》儼然已經可以和《魔戒》平起平坐,作者網站的訪問量也是和斯蒂芬·金、J.K.羅琳等不相上下,其受歡迎的程度可見一斑。喬治馬丁被時代雜志評選為2011年影響世界的一百人之一。