chapter 116 THEON

She was undeniably a beauty. But your first is always beautiful, Theon Greyjoy thought. “Now there’s a pretty grin,” a woman’s voice said behind him. “The lordling likes the look of her, does he?”  Theon turned to give her an appraising¹ glance. He liked what he saw. Ironborn, he knew at a glance; lean and longlegged, with black hair cut short, wind-chafed skin, strong sure hands, a dirk at her belt. Her nose was too big and too sharp for her thin face, but her smile made up for it. He judged her a few years older than he was, but no more than five-and twenty. She moved as if she were used to a deck beneath her feet.  “Yes, she’s a sweet sight,” he told her, “though not half so sweet as you.”  “Oho.” She grinned. “I’d best be careful. This lordling has a honeyed tongue.”  “Taste it and see.”  “Is it that way, then?” she said, eyeing him boldly. There were women on the iron Islands-not many, but a few-who crewed the longships along with their men, and it was said that salt and sea changed them, gave them a man’s appetites. “Have you been that long at sea, lordling? Or were there no women where you came from?”  “Women enough, but none like you.”  “And how would you know what I’m like?”  “My eyes can see your face. My ears can hear your laughter. And my cock’s gone hard as a mast for you.”  The woman stepped close and pressed a hand to the front of his breeches. “Well, you’re no liar,” she said, giving him a squeeze through the cloth. “How bad does it hurt?”  “Fiercely.”  “Poor lordling.” She released him and stepped back. “As it happens, I’m a woman wed³, and new with child.”  “The gods are good,” Theon said. “No chance I’d give you a bastard⁴ that way.”  “Even so, my man wouldn’t thank you.”  “No, but you might.”  “And why would that be? I’ve had lords before. They’re made the same as other men.”  “Have you ever had a prince?” he asked her. “When you’re wrinkled and grey and your teats hang past your belly⁵, you can tell your children’s children that once you loved a king.”  “Oh, is it love we’re talking now? And here I thought it was just cocks and cunts.”  “Is it love you fancy?” He’d decided⁶ that he liked this wench, whoever she was; her sharp wit was a welcome respite⁷ from the damp gloom of Pyke. “Shall I name my longship after you, and play you the high harp², and keep you in a tower room in my castle with only jewels to wear, like a princess in a song?”  “You ought to name your ship after me,” she said, ignoring all the rest. “It was me who built her.”  “Sigrin built her. My lord father’s shipwright⁸.”   “I’m Esgred. Ambrode’s daughter, and wife to Sigrin.”  He had not known that Ambrode had a daughter, or Sigrin a wife... but he’d met the younger shipwright only once, and the older one he scarce remembered. “You’re wasted on Sigrin.”  “Oho. Sigrin told me this sweet ship is wasted on you.”  Theon bristled⁹. “Do you know who I am?”  “Prince Theon of House Greyjoy. Who else? Tell me true, my lord, how well do you love her, this new maid of yours? Sigrin will want to know.”  The longship was so new that she still smelled of pitch and resin¹⁰. His uncle Aeron would bless her on the morrow, but Theon had ridden over from Pyke to get a look at her before she was launched. She was not so large as Lord Balon’s own Great Kraken or his uncle Victarion’s Iron Victory, but she looked swift and sweet, even sitting in her wooden cradle on the strand¹¹; lean black hull¹² a hundred feet long, a single tall mast, fifty long oars¹³, deck enough for a hundred men... and at the prow¹⁵, the great iron ram¹⁶ in the shape of an arrowhead. “Sigrin did me good service,” he admitted. “Is she as fast as she looks?”  “Faster-for a master that knows how to handle her.”  “It has been a few years since I sailed a ship.” And I’ve never captained one, if truth be told. “Still, I’m a Greyjoy, and an ironman. The sea is in my blood.”  “And your blood will be in the sea, if you sail the way you talk,” she told him.  “I would never mistreat such a fair maiden¹⁷.”  “Fair maiden?” She laughed. “She’s a sea bitch, this one.”  “There, and now you’ve named her. Sea Bitch.”  That amused her; he could see the sparkle in her dark eyes. “And you said you’d name her after me,” she said in a voice of wounded reproach.  “I did.” He caught her hand. “Help me, my lady. in the green lands, they believe a woman with child means good fortune for any man who beds her.”  “And what would they know about ships in the green lands? Or women, for that matter? Besides, I think you made that up.”  “If I confess, will you still love me?”  “Still? When have I ever loved you?”  “Never,” he admitted, “but I am trying to repair that lack, my sweet Esgred. The wind is cold. Come aboard my ship and let me warm you. On the morrow my uncle Aeron will pour seawater over her prow and mumble¹⁸ a prayer to the Drowned God, but Id sooner bless her with the milk of my loins, and yours.”  “The Drowned God might not take that kindly¹⁹.”  “Bugger the Drowned God. If he troubles us, I’ll drown him again. We’re off to war within a fortnight. Would you send me into battle all sleepless²⁰ with longing²¹?”  “Gladly.”  “A cruel maid. My ship is well named. If I steer²² her onto the rocks in my distraction²³, you’ll have yourself to blame.”   “Do you plan to steer with this?” Esgred brushed the front of his breeches once more, and smiled as a finger traced the iron outline of his manhood.  “Come back to Pyke with me,” he said suddenly, thinking, What will Lord Balon say? And why should I care? I am a man grown, if I want to bring a wench to bed it is no one’s business but my own.  “And what would I do in Pyke?” Her hand stayed where it was.  “My father will feast his captains tonight.” He had them to feast every night, while he waited for the last stragglers to arrive, but Theon saw no need to tell all that.  “Would you make me your captain for the night, my lord prince?” She had the wickedest smile he’d ever seen on a woman.  “I might. If I knew you’d steer me safe into port.”  “Well, I know which end of the oar¹⁴ goes in the sea, and there’s no one better with ropes and knots.” One-handed, she undid²⁴ the lacing of his breeches, then grinned and stepped lightly away from him. “A pity I’m a woman wed, and new with child.”  Flustered²⁵, Theon laced himself back up. “I need to start back to the castle. if you do not come with me, I may lose my way for grief, and all the islands would be poorer.”  “We couldn’t have that... but I have no horse, my lord.”  “You could take my squire²⁶’s mount.”  “And leave your poor squire to walk all the way to Pyke?”  “Share mine, then.”  “You’d like that well enough.” The smile again. “Now, would I be behind you, or in front?”  “You would be wherever you liked.”  “I like to be on top.”  Where has this wench been all my life? “My father’s hall is dim and dank. It needs Esgred to make the fires blaze.”  “The lordling has a honeyed tongue.”  “Isn’t that where we began?”  She threw up her hands. “And where we end. Esgred is yours, sweet prince. Take me to your castle. Let me see your proud towers rising from the sea.”

1 appraising   

v.估价( appraise的现在分词 )；估计；估量；评价

参考例句：

• At the appraising meeting, experts stated this method was superior to others. 鉴定会上，专家们指出这种方法优于其他方法。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The teacher is appraising the students' work. 老师正在评定学生的作业。 来自辞典例句

2 harp   

n.竖琴；天琴座

参考例句：

• She swept her fingers over the strings of the harp.她用手指划过竖琴的琴弦。
• He played an Irish melody on the harp.他用竖琴演奏了一首爱尔兰曲调。

3 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。

4 bastard   

n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子

参考例句：

• He was never concerned about being born a bastard.他从不介意自己是私生子。
• There was supposed to be no way to get at the bastard.据说没有办法买通那个混蛋。

5 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

6 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

7 respite   

n.休息，中止，暂缓

参考例句：

• She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
• Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。

8 shipwright   

n.造船工人

参考例句：

• His dream is to be a shipwright.他的梦想是成为一名造船者。
• The daughter of a shipwright in the Royal Navy,Elizabeth Marsh had her first sailing adventure as she travelled in her mother's womb from Jamaica to England in 1735.1735年在从牙买加开往英格兰的船上，伊莉莎白·马什，这位英国皇家海军部队造船匠的女儿在母亲的肚中经历了她第一次的航海远行。

9 bristled   

adj. 直立的，多刺毛的 动词bristle的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• They bristled at his denigrating description of their activities. 听到他在污蔑他们的活动，他们都怒发冲冠。
• All of us bristled at the lawyer's speech insulting our forefathers. 听到那个律师在讲演中污蔑我们的祖先，大家都气得怒发冲冠。

10 resin   

n.树脂，松香，树脂制品；vt.涂树脂

参考例句：

• This allyl type resin is a highly transparent, colourless material.这种烯丙基型的树脂是一种高度透明的、无色材料。
• This is referred to as a thixotropic property of the resin.这种特性叫做树脂的触变性。

11 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

12 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

13 oars   

n.桨，橹( oar的名词复数 )；划手v.划（行）( oar的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
• The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 oar   

n.桨，橹，划手；v.划行

参考例句：

• The sailors oar slowly across the river.水手们慢慢地划过河去。
• The blade of the oar was bitten off by a shark.浆叶被一条鲨鱼咬掉了。

15 prow   

n.(飞机)机头，船头

参考例句：

• The prow of the motor-boat cut through the water like a knife.汽艇的船头像一把刀子劈开水面向前行驶。
• He stands on the prow looking at the seadj.他站在船首看着大海。

16 ram   

(random access memory)随机存取存储器

参考例句：

• 512k RAM is recommended and 640k RAM is preferred.推荐配置为512K内存，640K内存则更佳。

17 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

18 mumble   

n./v.喃喃而语，咕哝

参考例句：

• Her grandmother mumbled in her sleep.她祖母含混不清地说着梦话。
• He could hear the low mumble of Navarro's voice.他能听到纳瓦罗在小声咕哝。

19 kindly   

adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地

参考例句：

• Her neighbours spoke of her as kindly and hospitable.她的邻居都说她和蔼可亲、热情好客。
• A shadow passed over the kindly face of the old woman.一道阴影掠过老太太慈祥的面孔。

20 sleepless   

adj.不睡眠的，睡不著的，不休息的

参考例句：

• The situation gave her many sleepless nights.这种情况害她一连好多天睡不好觉。
• One evening I heard a tale that rendered me sleepless for nights.一天晚上，我听说了一个传闻，把我搞得一连几夜都不能入睡。

21 longing   

n.（for）渴望

参考例句：

• Hearing the tune again sent waves of longing through her.再次听到那首曲子使她胸中充满了渴望。
• His heart burned with longing for revenge.他心中燃烧着急欲复仇的怒火。

22 steer   

vt.驾驶，为…操舵；引导；vi.驾驶

参考例句：

• If you push the car, I'll steer it.如果你来推车，我就来驾车。
• It's no use trying to steer the boy into a course of action that suits you.想说服这孩子按你的方式行事是徒劳的。

23 distraction   

n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐

参考例句：

• Total concentration is required with no distractions.要全神贯注，不能有丝毫分神。
• Their national distraction is going to the disco.他们的全民消遣就是去蹦迪。

24 Undid   

v. 解开, 复原

参考例句：

• The officer undid the flap of his holster and drew his gun. 军官打开枪套盖拔出了手枪。
• He did wrong, and in the end his wrongs undid him. 行恶者终以其恶毁其身。

25 flustered   

adj.慌张的；激动不安的v.使慌乱，使不安( fluster的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• The honking of horns flustered the boy. 汽车喇叭的叫声使男孩感到慌乱。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• She was so flustered that she forgot her reply. 她太紧张了，都忘记了该如何作答。 来自辞典例句

26 squire   

n.护卫, 侍从, 乡绅

参考例句：

• I told him the squire was the most liberal of men.我告诉他乡绅是世界上最宽宏大量的人。
• The squire was hard at work at Bristol.乡绅在布里斯托尔热衷于他的工作。