But Lord Eddard was a thousand leagues away, a captive in some dungeon, a hunted fugitive running for his life, or even dead. 但艾德公爵毕竟身在千里之外，身陷囹圄，或许成了亡命奔逃的通缉犯，甚至已经死去。

　　No one seemed to know for certain; every traveler told a different tale, each more terrifying than the last. 真相究竟如何，没有人能确定，每个旅人所说的版本都不一样，而且一个比一个可怕：

　　The heads of Father's guardsmen were rotting on the walls of the Red Keep, impaled on spikes. 父亲手下卫士的头被插在枪尖，挂在红堡城墙上腐烂啦；

　　King Robert was dead at Father's hands. 劳勃国王死在父亲手中啦；

　　The Baratheons had laid siege to King's Landing. 拜拉席恩家的军队围攻君临啦；

　　Lord Eddard had fled south with the king's wicked brother Renly. 艾德公爵和国王的坏弟弟蓝礼一同逃往南方啦；

　　Arya and Sansa had been murdered by the Hound. 艾莉亚和珊莎都被猎狗所杀啦；

　　Mother had killed Tyrion the Imp and hung his body from the walls of Riverrun. 母亲杀了小恶魔提利昂，把他的尸体挂在奔流城城墙上啦；

　　Lord Tywin Lannister was marching on the Eyrie, burning and slaughtering as he went. 或者是泰温·兰尼斯特公爵率兵往鹰巢城进发，沿途烧杀掳掠之类。

　　One wine-sodden taleteller even claimed that Rhaegar Targaryen had returned from the dead 有个浑身酒味的说书人，甚至宣称雷加·坦格利安已经死而复生，

　　and was marshaling a vast host of ancient heroes on Dragonstone to reclaim his father's throne. 正在龙石岛上号召千古英雄，准备夺回他父王的宝座呢。

　　When the raven came, bearing a letter marked with Father's own seal and written in Sansa's hand, the cruel truth seemed no less incredible. 所以，后来当渡鸦带着由珊莎手书，盖了父亲印章的信件抵达时，残酷的事实似乎也不再那么令人惊讶。

　　Bran would never forget the look on Robb's face as he stared at their sister's words. 布兰永远忘不了罗柏读着姐姐来信时脸上的表情。