Arya cocked her head to one side. "Can I be a king's councillor and build castles and become the High Septon?"艾莉亞歪著頭。“那我可以當國王的重臣，蓋城堡，當大主教嗎？”

"You," Ned said, kissing her lightly on the brow, "will marry a king and rule his castle, and your sons willbe knights and princes and lords and, yes, perhaps even a High Septon."“你啊，”奈德說著輕輕吻了她的眉毛。“你會嫁給某個國王，管理他的城堡，你的兒子們則會當上騎士、王子或領主，或許也能當上大主教。”

Arya screwed up her face. "No," she said, "that's Sansa." She folded up her right leg and resumed her balancing. Ned sighed and left her there.艾莉亞臉色一變。“不要，”她說，“珊莎才會那樣。”她右腳離地，繼續練習單腳平衡。奈德嘆了口氣，留下她走了。

Inside his chambers, he stripped off his sweat-stained silks and sluiced cold water over his head from the basin beside the bed. Alyn entered as he was drying his face. "My lord," he said, "Lord Baelish is without and begs audience."進到房間，他脫下汗水浸濕的絲質上衣，從床邊的水盆里掬起冷水當頭淋下。正當他擦臉的時候，埃林進來說：“老爺，貝里席大人在外求見。”

"Escort him to my solar," Ned said, reaching for a fresh tunic, the lightest linen he could find. "I'll see him at once."“把他請到我書房去。”奈德邊說邊伸手拿起他質料最薄的亞麻布干衣。“我馬上就來。”

Littlefinger was perched on the window seat when Ned entered, watching the knights of the Kingsguard practice at swords in the yard below. "If only old Selmy's mind were as nimble as his blade," he said wistfully, "our council meetings would be a good deal livelier."當奈德跨進書房，發現小指頭正坐在窗邊，望著在下方廣場練劍的御林鐵衛。“老賽爾彌的腦袋瓜要跟他的劍一樣靈光就好了，”他滿懷渴望地說，“那樣開會會有趣許多。”

"Ser Barristan is as valiant and honorable as any man in King's Landing." Ned had come to have a deep respect for the aged, white-haired Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.“巴利斯坦爵士的武勇和操守，不輸給君臨的任何人。”經過這些日子的相處，奈德對這位德高望重，白發蒼蒼的御林鐵衛隊長抱持著崇高的敬意。

"And as tiresome," Littlefinger added, "though I daresay he should do well in the tourney. Last year he unhorsed the Hound, and it was only four years ago that he was champion."“他的死氣沉沉也同樣不落人后。”小指頭補充道，“不過我相信他在比武大會上應該還能老當益壯，發揮余熱。去年他把獵狗一槍刺下馬，距離他上次摘下冠軍也不過四年。”

The question of who might win the tourney interested Eddard Stark not in the least. "Is there a reason for this visit, Lord Petyr, or are you here simply to enjoy the view from my window?"對于誰會奪得比武大會冠軍，艾德·史塔克一點興趣也沒有。“培提爾大人，請問您這次來訪有何目的，還是單只來欣賞我窗邊景致？”

Littlefinger smiled. "I promised Cat I would help you in your inquiries, and so I have."小指頭微笑：“我答應凱特幫你明查暗訪，而我說到做到。”