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第171部分

grrm.astormofswords-第171部分

小说: grrm.astormofswords 字数: 每页4000字

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e river; the swollen Green Fork; growling like a lion in its den。
 Arya twisted and turned; trying to look everywhere at once; hoping for a glimpse of a direwolf badge; for a tent done up in grey and white; for a face she knew from Winterfell。 All she saw were strangers。 She stared at a man relieving himself in the reeds; but he wasn't Alebelly。 She saw a half…dressed girl burst from a tent laughing; but the tent was pale blue; not grey like she'd thought at first; and the man who went running after her wore a treecat on his doublet; not a wolf。 Beneath a tree; four archers were slipping waxed strings over the notches of their longbows; but they were not her father's archers。 A maester crossed their path; but he was too young and thin to be Maester Luwin。 Arya gazed up at the Twins; their high tower windows glowing softly wherever a light was burning。 Through the haze of rain; the castles looked spooky and mysterious; like something from one of Old Nan's tales; but they weren't Winterfell。
 The press was thickest at the feast tents。 The wide flaps were tied back; and men were pushing in and out with drinking horns and tankards in their hands; some with camp followers。 Arya glanced inside as the Hound drove past the first of the three; and saw hundreds of men crowding the benches and jostling around the casks of mead and ale and wine。 There was hardly room to move inside; but none of them seemed to mind。 At least they were warm and dry。 Cold wet Arya envied them。 Some were even singing。 The fine misty rain was steaming all around the door from the heat escaping from inside。 〃Here's to Lord Edmure and Lady Roslin;〃 she heard a voice shout。 They all drank; and someone yelled; 〃Here's to the Young Wolf and Queen Jeyne。〃
 Who is Queen Jeyne? Arya wondered briefly。 The only queen she knew was Cersei。
 Firepits had been dug outside the feast tents; sheltered beneath rude canopies of woven wood and hides that kept the rain out; so long as it fell straight down。 The wind was blowing off the river; though; so the drizzle came in anyway; enough to make the fires hiss and swirl。 Serving men were turning joints of meat on spits above the flames。 The smells made Arya's mouth water。 〃Shouldn't we stop?〃 she asked Sandor Clegane。 〃There's northmen in the tents。〃 She knew them by their beards; by their faces; by their cloaks of bearskin and sealskin; by their half…heard toasts and the songs they sang; Karstarks and Umbers and men of the mountain clans。 〃I bet there are Winterfell men too。〃 Her father's men; the Young Wolf's men; the direwolves of Stark。
 〃Your brother will be in the castle;〃 he said。 〃Your mother too。 You want them or not?〃
 〃Yes;〃 she said。 〃What about Sedgekins?〃 The sergeant had told them to ask for Sedgekins。
 〃Sedgekins can bugger himself with a hot poker。〃 Clegane shook out his whip; and sent it hissing through the soft rain to bite at a horse's flank。 〃It's your bloody brother I want。〃
 
 CHAPTER 51
 CATELYN
 
 The drums were pounding; pounding; pounding; and her head with them。 Pipes wailed and flutes trilled from the musicians' gallery at the foot of the hall; fiddles screeched; horns blew; the skins skirled a lively tune; but the drumming drove them all。 The sounds echoed off the rafters; whilst the guests ate; drank; and shouted at one another below。 WaIder Frey must be deaf as a stone to call this music。 Catelyn sipped a cup of wine and watched Jinglebell prance to the sounds of 〃Alysanne。 〃 At least she thought it was meant to be 〃Alysanne。〃 With these players; it might as easily have been 〃The Bear and the Maiden Fair。〃
 Outside the rain still fell; but within the Twins the air was thick and hot。 A fire roared in the hearth and rows of torches burned smokily from iron sconces on the walls。 Yet most of the heat came off the bodies of the wedding guests; jammed in so thick along the benches that every man who tried to lift his cup poked his neighbor in the ribs。
 Even on the dais they were closer than Catelyn would have liked。 She had been placed between Ser Ryman Frey and Roose Bolton; and had gotten a good noseful of both。 Ser Ryman drank as if Westeros was about to run short of wine; and sweated it all out under his arms。 He had bathed in lemonwater; she judged; but no lemon could mask so much sour sweat。 Roose Bolton had a sweeter smell to him; yet no more pleasant。 He sipped hippocras in preference to wine or mead; and ate but little。
 Catelyn could not fault him for his lack of appetite。 The wedding feast began with a thin leek soup; followed by a salad of green beans; onions; and beets; river pike poached in almond milk; mounds of mashed turnips that were cold before they reached the table; jellied calves' brains; and a leche of stringy beef。 It was poor fare to set before a king; and the calves' brains turned Catelyn's stomach。 Yet Robb ate it unplaining; and her brother was too caught up with his bride to pay much attention。
 You would never guess Edmure plained of Roslin all the way from Riverrun to the TWins。 Husband and wife ate from a single plate; drank from a single cup; and exchanged chaste kisses between sips。 Most of the dishes Edmure waved away。 She could not blame him for that。 She remembered little of the food served at her own wedding feast。 Did I even taste it? Or spend the whole time gazing at Ned's face; wondering who he was?
 Poor Roslin's smile had a fixed quality to it; as if someone had sewn it onto her face。 Well; she is a maid wedded; but the bedding's yet to e。 No doubt she's as terrified as I was。 Robb was seated between Alyx Frey and Fair Walda; two of the more nubile Frey maidens。 〃At the wedding feast I hope you will not refuse to dance with my daughters;〃 Walder Frey had said。 〃It would please an old man's heart。〃 His heart should be well pleased; then; Robb had done his duty like a king。 He had danced with each of the girls; with Edmure's bride and the eighth Lady Frey; with the widow Ami and Roose Bolton's wife Fat Walda; with the pimply twins Serra and Sarra; even with Shirei; Lord Walder's youngest; who must have been all of six。 Catelyn wondered whether the Lord of the Crossing would be satisfied; or if he would find cause for plaint in all the other daughters and granddaughters who had not had a turn with the king。 〃Your sisters dance very well;〃 she said to Ser Ryman Frey; trying to be pleasant。
 〃They're aunts and cousins。〃 Ser Ryman drank a swallow of wine; the sweat trickling down his cheek into his beard。
 A sour man; and in his cups; Catelyn thought。 The Late Lord Frey might be niggardly when it came to feeding his guests; but he did not stint on the drink。 The ale; wine; and mead were flowing as fast as the river outside。 The Greatjon was already roaring drunk。 Lord Walder's son Merrett was matching him cup for cup; but Ser Whalen Frey had passed out trying to keep up with the two of them。 Catelyn would sooner Lord Umber had seen fit to stay sober; but telling the Greatjon not to drink was like telling him not to breathe for a few hours。
 Smalljon Umber and Robin Flint sat near Robb; to the other side of Fair Walda and Alyx; respectively。 Neither of them was drinking; along with Patrek Mallister and Dacey Mormont; they were her son's guards this evening。 A wedding feast was not a battle; but there were always dangers when men were in their cups; and a king should never be unguarded。 Catelyn was glad of that; and even more glad of the swordbelts hanging on pegs along the walls。 No man needs a longsword to deal with jellied calves' brains。
 〃Everyone thought my lord would choose Fair Walda;〃 Lady Walda Bolton told Ser Wendel; shouting to be heard above the music。 Fat Walda was a round pink butterball of a girl with watery blue eyes; limp yellow hair; and a huge bosom; yet her voice was a fluttering squeak。 It was hard to picture her in the Dreadfort in her pink lace and cape of vair。 〃My lord grandfather offered Roose his bride's weight in silver as a dowry; though; so my lord of Bolton picked me。〃 The girl's chins jiggled when she laughed。 〃I weigh six stone more than Fair Walda; but that was the first time I was glad of it。 I'm Lady Bolton now and my cousin's still a maid; and she'll be nineteen soon; poor thing。〃
 The Lord of the

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