There he stood, brooding over the realm he sought to claim, so near at hand and yet so far away. "Tonight I am to sup with my lords bannermen, such as they are. Celtigar, Velaryon, Bar Emmon, the whole paltry lot of them. A poor crop, if truth be told, but they are what my brothers have left me. That Lysene pirate Salladhor Saan will be there with the latest tally of what I owe him, and Morosh the Myrman will caution me with talk of tides and autumn gales, while Lord Sunglass mutters piously of the will of the Seven. Celtigar will want to know which storm lords are joining us. Velaryon will threaten to take his levies home unless we strike at once. What am I to tell them? What must I do now?"
他伫立沉思,望着他亟思获得,明明近在咫尺,却又遥不可及的国度。“今晚我要宴请诸侯,虽然他们寥寥无几,不过就赛提加、瓦列利安和巴尔艾蒙这几个人,也都不是什么能干角色,但我兄弟留给我的只有这些了。除此之外,那里斯海盗萨拉多·桑恩会带来我近来欠款的帐单,密尔人摩洛叙会谈论海潮和秋季风向,目的是要我小心谨慎,桑格拉斯大人则会虔诚地以七神之名诵唱祝祷。再之后呢,赛提加会要我说明到底哪些风息堡诸侯决定加入,瓦列利安则会威胁我,除非立刻出兵,否则就班师回家。我到底该怎么对他们说?我到底该怎么做?”
Your true enemies are the Lannisters, my lord, Maester Cressen answered. "If you and your brother were to make common cause against them—"
“陛下,您真正的敌人是兰尼斯特。”克礼森学士回答,“假如您们兄弟俩能并肩作战——”
I will not treat with Renly, Stannis answered in a tone that brooked no argument. "Not while he calls himself a king."
“我绝不跟蓝礼妥协,”史坦尼斯回答,语气不容任何辩驳。“除非他放弃称王。”
Not Renly, then, the maester yielded. His lord was stubborn and proud; when he had set his mind, there was no changing it. "Others might serve your needs as well. Eddard Stark's son has been proclaimed King in the North, with all the power of Winterfell and Riverrun behind him."
“那就不和他结盟,”学士让步了,他的主人个性刚硬,自尊心强,一旦下定决心,便再无转寰余地。“其他人同样能助您一臂之力。艾德·史塔克的儿子已经自立为北境之王,身后有临冬城和奔流城所有兵力支持。”
A green boy, said Stannis, "and another false king. Am I to accept a broken realm?"
“他不过是个毛头小子,”史坦尼斯道,“而且同样僭越称王,难道你要我坐视王国分崩离析?”