Honors? Ned laughed bitterly. "荣誉？"奈德苦涩地笑道。

In his eyes, yes, she said. "在他眼里，没有更高的荣誉了。"她回答。

And in yours? "在你眼里呢？"

And in mine, she blazed, angry now. Why couldn't he see? "在我眼里也一样！"她叱道，突然间生气起来。他为什么就不懂呢？"

He offers his own son in marriage to our daughter, what else would you call that? Sansa might someday be queen. 他愿意让自己的长子迎娶珊莎，还有什么能比这更光荣？珊莎有朝一日说不定会成为王后，

Her sons could rule from the Wall to the mountains of Dorne. What is so wrong with that? 她的孩子们将统治北起绝境长城，南及多恩峻岭的辽阔土地，这难道不好么？"

Gods, Catelyn, Sansa is only eleven, Ned said. And Joffrey...Joffrey is.. "老天，凯特琳，珊莎才十一岁，"奈德说，"而乔佛里……乔佛里他……"

She finished for him. crown prince, and heir to the Iron Throne. And I was only twelve when my father promised me to your brother Brandon. 她忙接口："他是当今王太子，铁王座的继承人。我父亲将我许配给你哥哥布兰登的时候，我也不过十二岁。"

That brought a bitter twist to Ned's mouth. Brandon. Yes. Brandon would know what to do. He always did. 这话引起了奈德嘴角苦涩的牵动，"布兰登，是啊，布兰登知道怎么做，他做什么都充满自信，成竹在胸。

It was all meant for Brandon. You, Winterfell, everything. 你和临冬城本来都该是布兰登的。

He was born to be a King's Hand and a father to queens. I never asked for this cup to pass to me. 他是个当首相和作王后父亲的料。我可从没说过要喝这杯苦酒。"

Perhaps not, Catelyn said, but Brandon is dead, and the cup has passed, and you must drink from it, like it or not. "也许你没有，"凯特琳说，"但布兰登早已不在人世，酒杯也已经传到你手中，不管喜不喜欢，你都非喝不可。"

Ned turned away from her, back to the night. He stood staring out in the darkness, 奈德再度转身，返回暗夜之中。他站在原地望着屋外的黑暗，

watching the moon and the stars perhaps, or perhaps the sentries¹ on the wall. 或许在凝视月光星辰，或许在瞭望城上哨兵。

Catelyn softened² then, to see his pain. Eddard Stark³ had married her in Brandon's place, as custom decreed, 见他受了伤，凯特琳缓和下来。依照习俗，艾德·史塔克代替布兰登娶了她，

but the shadow of his dead brother still lay between them, as did the other, 然而他过世兄长的阴影仍旧夹在两人之间，

the shadow of the woman he would not name, the woman who had borne him his bastard⁴ son. 就像另一个女人的阴影，一个他不愿说出名字，却为他生下私生子的女人。