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"Perhaps they did.
“也許是的。
The mystery knight dipped his lance before the king and rode to the end of the lists, where the five champions had their pavilions.
神秘騎士向國王行過禮，然后騎向比武場盡頭，五名挑戰者的帳篷就在那里。
You know the three he challenged."
你知道他要向哪三個叫陣。”
"The porcupine knight, the pitchfork knight, and the knight of the twin towers."
“豪豬騎士，草叉騎士，還有雙塔騎士。”
Bran had heard enough stories to know that.
布蘭聽過很多類似的情節，知道故事會如何發展。
"He was the little crannogman, I told you."
“他就是那小個子澤地人，我告訴過你的。”
"Whoever he was, the old gods gave strength to his arm.
“不管他是誰，舊神賜予他力量。
The porcupine knight fell first, then the pitchfork knight, and lastly the knight of the two towers.
豪豬騎士首先落馬，接著是草叉騎士，最后是雙塔騎士。
None were well loved, so the common folk cheered lustily for the Knight of the Laughing Tree, as the new champion soon was called.
他們都不受歡迎，因此當新的挑戰者誕生時，圍觀的老百姓為這笑面樹騎士熱烈歡呼。
When his fallen foes sought to ransom horse and armor,
他的手下敗將們試圖贖回馬匹和盔甲，
the Knight of the Laughing Tree spoke in a booming voice through his helm, saying,
笑面樹騎士透過頭盔用洪亮的聲音斥道：
'Teach your squire honor, that shall be ransom enough.'
‘教你們的侍從懂得榮譽，把這當贖金就夠了。’
Once the defeated knights chastised their squires sharply, their horses and armor were returned.
失敗的騎士嚴懲了他們的侍從，馬匹和盔甲便被交還。
And so the little crannogman's prayer was answered…
就這樣，小個子澤地人的祈禱得到了回應…
by the green men, or the old gods, or the children of the forest, who can say?"
回應他的或許是綠人，或許是舊神，又或許是森林之子，誰說得準呢？”
It was a good story, Bran decided after thinking about it a moment or two.
這是個好故事，布蘭思考了一會兒之后斷定。
"Then what happened? Did the Knight of the Laughing Tree win the tourney and marry a princess?"
“后來呢？笑面樹騎士有沒贏得比武的勝利，并娶到一位公主？”
"No," said Meera.
“沒有，”梅拉說，
"That night at the great castle, the storm lord and the knight of skulls and kisses each swore they would unmask him,
“當晚在大城堡里，風暴領主和頭骨與親吻騎士都發誓要挑開他的面甲，
and the king himself urged men to challenge him, declaring that the face behind that helm was no friend of his.
國王本人也鼓勵人們向他挑戰，他宣稱藏在頭盔后面的臉不會是他的朋友。
But the next morning, when the heralds blew their trumpets and the king took his seat, only two champions appeared.
但第二天早上，當傳令官吹響號角，國王就座之后，只有兩位挑戰者出現。
The Knight of the Laughing Tree had vanished.
笑面樹騎士竟消失了。
The king was wroth, and even sent his son the dragon prince to seek the man,
國王異常憤怒，派他兒子龍太子去追，
but all they ever found was his painted shield, hanging abandoned in a tree.
結果只找到一面掛在樹上的彩繪盾牌。
It was the dragon prince who won that tourney in the end."
長槍比武繼續進行，最后的贏家是龍太子。”
"Oh." Bran thought about the tale a while.
“哦。”布蘭思考了一會兒，
"That was a good story.
“這是個好故事。
But it should have been the three bad knights who hurt him, not their squires.
不過傷害他的應該是那三個壞騎士，而不是他們的侍從，
Then the little crannogman could have killed them all.
這樣小個子澤地人就可以把他們都殺死了。
The part about the ransoms was stupid.
關于贖金那部分很無聊。
And the mystery knight should win the tourney, defeating every challenger, and name the wolf maid the queen of love and beauty."
神秘騎士應該贏得比武大會的勝利，擊敗每一位挑戰者，最后命名母狼為愛與美的皇后。”
"She was," said Meera, "but that's a sadder story."
“她的確成為了愛與美的皇后，”梅拉說，“那是一個更加悲傷的故事。”
"Are you certain you never heard this tale before, Bran?" asked Jojen.
“你肯定以前沒聽過這個故事，布蘭？”玖健問，
"Your lord father never told it to you?"
“你父親大人沒告訴過你嗎？”
Bran shook his head.
布蘭搖搖頭。
The day was growing old by then, and long shadows were creeping down the mountainsides to send black fingers through the pines.
這時天色已晚，長長的影子爬下山坡，如黑色的手指一般穿過松林。
If the little crannogman could visit the Isle of Faces, maybe I could too.
既然小個子澤地人可以造訪千面嶼，或許我也行。
All the tales agreed that the green men had strange magic powers.
看來所有的故事都有個共通點，那就是綠人確有神奇的魔力，
Maybe they could help him walk again, even turn him into a knight.
他們也許能讓我再次行走，甚至成為騎士呢。
They turned the little crannogman into a knight, even if it was only for a day, he thought.
他們把小個子澤地人變成了騎士，即使只有一天，他心想，
A day would be enough.
對我來說，一天就夠了。
