Are you that eager to get me out of the city, Cersei? “You are too kind, sister, but it seems to me that a boy’s mother is better fitted to arrange his marriage than any uncle. And you have a gift for winning friends that I could never hope to match.” Her eyes narrowed. “Joff needs me at his side.” “Your Grace, my lord Hand,” said Littlefinger, “the king needs both of you here. Let me go in your stead.” “You?” What gain does he see in this? Tyrion wondered. “I am of the king’s council, yet not the king’s blood, so I would make a poor hostage. I knew Ser Loras passing well when he was here at court, and gave him no cause to mislike me.
Mace1 Tyrell bears me no enmity that I know of, and I flatter myself that I am not unskilled in
negotiation2.” He has us. Tyrion did not trust Petyr Baelish, nor did he want the man out of his sight, yet what other choice was left him? It must be Littlefinger or Tyrion himself, and he knew full well that if he left King’s Landing for any length of time, all that he had managed to accomplish would be
undone3. “There is fighting between here and Bitterbridge,” he said cautiously. “And you can be past certain that Lord Stannis will be dispatching his own shepherds to gather in his brother’s wayward lambs.” “I’ve never been frightened of shepherds. It’s the sheep who trouble me. Still, I suppose an escort might be in order.” “I can spare a hundred gold cloaks,” Tyrion said. “Five hundred.” “Three hundred.” “And forty more-twenty
knights4 with as many
squires5. If I arrive without a
knightly6 tail, the Tyrells will think me of small account.” That was true enough. “Agreed.” “I’ll include Horror and Slobber in my party, and send them on to their lord father
afterward7. A gesture of
goodwill8. We need Paxter Redwyne, he’s Mace Tyrell’s oldest friend, and a great power in his own right.” “And a traitor,” the queen said,
balking9. “The
Arbor10 would have declared for Renly with all the rest, except that Redwyne knew full well his whelps would suffer for it.” “Renly is dead, Your Grace,” Littlefinger
pointed11 out, “and neither Stannis nor Lord Paxter will have forgotten how Redwyne
galleys12 closed the sea during the siege of Storm’s End. Restore the twins and perchance we may win Redwyne’s love.” Cersei remained unconvinced. “The Others can keep his love, I want his swords and sails. Holding tight to those twins is the best way to make certain that we’ll have them.” Tyrion had the answer. “Then let us send Ser Hobber back to the Arbor and keep Ser Horas here. Lord Paxter ought to be clever enough to
riddle13 out the meaning of that, I should think.” The suggestion was carried without protest, but Littlefinger was not done. “We’ll want horses. Swift and strong. The fighting will make remounts hard to come by. A goodly supply of gold will also be needed, for those gifts we
spoke14 of earlier.” “Take as much as you require. If the city falls, Stannis will steal it all anyway.” “I’ll want my commission in writing. A document that will leave Mace Tyrell in no doubt as to my authority, granting me full power to treat with him concerning this match and any other arrangements that might be required, and to make
binding15 pledges in the king’s name. It should be signed by Joffrey and every member of this council, and bear all our seals.” Tyrion shifted uncomfortably. “Done. Will that be all? I remind you, there’s a long road between here and Bitterbridge.” “I’ll be riding it before dawn breaks.” Littlefinger rose. “I trust that on my return, the king will see that I am suitably rewarded for my
valiant16 efforts in his cause?” Varys
giggled17. “Joffrey is such a grateful sovereign, I’m certain you will have no cause to complain, my good brave lord.” The queen was more direct. “What do you want, Petyr?” Littlefinger glanced at Tyrion with a sly smile. “I shall need to give that some consideration. No doubt I’ll think of something.” He
sketched18 an airy bow and took his leave, as casual as if he were off to one of his brothels. Tyrion glanced out the window. The fog was so thick that he could not even see the curtain wall across the yard. A few dim lights shone indistinct through that greyness. A
foul19 day for travel, he thought. He did not envy Petyr Baelish. “We had best see to drawing up those documents. Lord Varys, send for parchment and
quill20. And someone will need to wake Joffrey.” It was still grey and dark when the meeting finally ended. Varys
scurried21 off alone, his soft
slippers22 whisking along the floor. The Lannisters lingered a moment by the door. “How comes your chain, brother?” the queen asked as Ser Preston fastened a vair-lined cloth-of-silver cloak about her shoulders. “Link by link, it grows longer. We should thank the gods that Ser Cortnay Penrose is as stubborn as he is. Stannis will never march north with Storm’s End untaken in his rear.” “Tyrion, I know we do not always agree on policy, but it seems to me that I was wrong about you. You are not so big a fool as I imagined. In truth, I realize now that you have been a great help. For that I thank you. You must forgive me if I have spoken to you harshly in the past.” “Must I?” He gave her a
shrug23, a smile. “Sweet sister, you have said nothing that requires forgiveness.” “Today, you mean?” They both laughed... and Cersei leaned over and planted a quick, soft kiss on his brow. Too astonished for words, Tyrion could only watch her stride off down the hall, Ser Preston at her side. “Have I lost my wits, or did my sister just kiss me?” he asked Bronn when she was gone. “Was it so sweet?” “It was... unanticipated.” Cersei had been behaving queerly of late. Tyrion found it very unsettling. “I am trying to recall the last time she kissed me. I could not have been more than six or seven. Jaime had dared her to do it.” “The woman’s finally taken note of your charms.” “No,” Tyrion said. “No, the woman is hatching something. Best find out what, Bronn. You know I hate surprises.”
点击
收听单词发音
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1
mace
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| n.狼牙棒，豆蔻干皮 |
参考例句： |
- The sword and mace were favourite weapons for hand-to-hand fighting.剑和狼牙棒是肉搏战的最佳武器。
- She put some mace into the meat.她往肉里加了一些肉豆蔻干皮。
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2
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 |
参考例句： |
- They closed the deal in sugar after a week of negotiation.经过一星期的谈判，他们的食糖生意成交了。
- The negotiation dragged on until July.谈判一直拖到7月份。
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3
undone
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| a.未做完的，未完成的 |
参考例句： |
- He left nothing undone that needed attention.所有需要注意的事他都注意到了。
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4
knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 |
参考例句： |
- stories of knights and fair maidens 关于骑士和美女的故事
- He wove a fascinating tale of knights in shining armour. 他编了一个穿着明亮盔甲的骑士的迷人故事。
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5
squires
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| n.地主，乡绅( squire的名词复数 ) |
参考例句： |
- The family history was typical of the Catholic squires of England. 这个家族的历史，在英格兰信天主教的乡绅中是很典型的。 来自辞典例句
- By 1696, with Tory squires and Amsterdam burghers complaining about excessive taxes. 到1696年，托利党的乡绅们和阿姆斯特丹的市民都对苛捐杂税怨声载道。 来自辞典例句
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6
knightly
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| adj. 骑士般的
adv. 骑士般地 |
参考例句： |
- He composed heroic songs and began to write many a tale of enchantment and knightly adventure. 他谱写英雄短歌并着手编写不少记叙巫术和骑士历险的故事。
- If you wear knight costumes, you will certainly have a knightly manner. 身着骑士装，令您具有骑士风度。
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7
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 |
参考例句： |
- Let's go to the theatre first and eat afterward. 让我们先去看戏，然后吃饭。
- Afterward,the boy became a very famous artist.后来，这男孩成为一个很有名的艺术家。
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8
goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 |
参考例句： |
- His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
- We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。
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9
balking
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| n.慢行，阻行v.畏缩不前，犹豫( balk的现在分词 )；（指马）不肯跑 |
参考例句： |
- He picked up a stone and let fly at the balking dog. 他捡起一块石头朝那狂吠的狗扔去。 来自互联网
- Democrats won't pass the plan without votes from rank-and-file Republicans andof-and-file Republicans were reportedly balking. 没有普通共和党议员的支持，民主党人无法通过这项方案——到周四晚间，据悉那些普通共和党人在阻挡（该计划）。 来自互联网
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10
arbor
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| n.凉亭；树木 |
参考例句： |
- They sat in the arbor and chatted over tea.他们坐在凉亭里，边喝茶边聊天。
- You may have heard of Arbor Day at school.你可能在学校里听过植树节。
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 |
参考例句： |
- He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
- She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。
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12
galleys
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| n.平底大船，战舰( galley的名词复数 )；（船上或航空器上的）厨房 |
参考例句： |
- Other people had drowned at sea since galleys swarmed with painted sails. 自从布满彩帆的大船下海以来，别的人曾淹死在海里。 来自辞典例句
- He sighed for the galleys, with their infamous costume. 他羡慕那些穿着囚衣的苦工。 来自辞典例句
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13
riddle
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| n.谜，谜语，粗筛；vt.解谜，给…出谜，筛，检查，鉴定，非难，充满于；vi.出谜 |
参考例句： |
- The riddle couldn't be solved by the child.这个谜语孩子猜不出来。
- Her disappearance is a complete riddle.她的失踪完全是一个谜。
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14
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 |
参考例句： |
- They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
- The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
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15
binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 |
参考例句： |
- The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
- Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 |
参考例句： |
- He had the fame of being very valiant.他的勇敢是出名的。
- Despite valiant efforts by the finance minister,inflation rose to 36%.尽管财政部部长采取了一系列果决措施，通货膨胀率还是涨到了36%。
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17
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
- The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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18
sketched
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| v.草拟（sketch的过去式与过去分词形式） |
参考例句： |
- The historical article sketched the major events of the decade. 这篇有关历史的文章概述了这十年中的重大事件。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He sketched the situation in a few vivid words. 他用几句生动的语言简述了局势。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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19
foul
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| adj.污秽的；邪恶的；v.弄脏；妨害；犯规；n.犯规 |
参考例句： |
- Take off those foul clothes and let me wash them.脱下那些脏衣服让我洗一洗。
- What a foul day it is!多么恶劣的天气！
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20
quill
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| n.羽毛管；v.给（织物或衣服）作皱褶 |
参考例句： |
- He wrote with a quill.他用羽毛笔写字。
- She dipped a quill in ink,and then began to write.她将羽毛笔在墨水里蘸了一下，随后开始书写。
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21
scurried
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| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- She said goodbye and scurried back to work. 她说声再见，然后扭头跑回去干活了。
- It began to rain and we scurried for shelter. 下起雨来，我们急忙找地方躲避。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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22
slippers
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| n. 拖鞋 |
参考例句： |
- a pair of slippers 一双拖鞋
- He kicked his slippers off and dropped on to the bed. 他踢掉了拖鞋，倒在床上。
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23
shrug
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| v.耸肩(表示怀疑、冷漠、不知等) |
参考例句： |
- With a shrug,he went out of the room.他耸一下肩，走出了房间。
- I admire the way she is able to shrug off unfair criticism.我很佩服她能对错误的批评意见不予理会。
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