Chapter 10 Chapter Ten Brienne

The gates of Duskendale were closed and bolted, and the walls glowed white in the pre-dawn darkness.Above the battlements, a wisp of mist is like a ghost sentinel.More than a dozen carriages and ox carts have gathered outside the city gate, waiting for the sunrise.Brienne dismounted behind a pile of turnips, her sore calves felt good to stretch.Soon another trailer rumbled out of the woods.By the time the sky began to brighten, the line had stretched a quarter of a mile. The farmers glanced at her curiously now and then, but no one spoke to her.I should speak first, Brienne told herself, but she's never been good with strangers.She has been shy since she was a child, and the experience of being teased for many years has made her even more cringe.I have to inquire more about Sansa, otherwise how can I find it?She cleared her throat. "This lady," she said to the woman in the turnip wagon, "have you seen my sister on the road? She is a virgin of thirteen, very beautiful, with blue eyes and auburn hair. She may have been with a A drunken knight walks."

The woman shook her head, and her husband said, "Then she's not a virgin, I'll bet on that. What's the poor girl's name?" Brienne's mind went blank.I should have made up a name for her long ago.Any name would do, but she couldn't think of any at the moment. "No name? Well, there are no-name girls all over the road." "There are more in the cemetery." His wife said. After daybreak, guards appeared on the walls.The farmers climbed into the wagons and shook the reins.Brienne also got on her horse.Looking back, most of the people waiting to enter the city are farmers, full of fruits and vegetables for sale.After more than ten cars, there were two wealthy urbanites riding thoroughbred horses, and further back, she found a skinny boy riding a piebald horse.There was no sign of the two hedge knights, nor of Ser Shadridge the Mad Rat.

The guards at the city gate kept waving the trailer to go in, barely checking, but they stopped Brienne. "You, stop!" shouted the captain.Two men in mail armor crossed their spears and blocked the way. "Explain your purpose." "I want to see the Lord of Duskendale, or his maester." The captain's eyes lingered on her shield, "Rothstein's black bat. The coat of arms has a bad reputation." "This is not my coat of arms. I intend to repaint the shield." "Really?" The captain rubbed his unshaven chin. "Well, my old sister happens to be in this business. You can find her in the house opposite the Seven Swords Inn, the one with the picture on the gate." He gestured to the guard. "Let her go, guys. It's a chick."

Behind the gatehouse was the market square, and the people who had entered first were unloading and selling turnips, yellow onions, and sacks of barley.She rode past some merchants selling weapons and armor. Judging from the prices they yelled, they were all of extremely low quality.Whenever the battle is over, the raider will come with the crow.Brienne saw mail mail with brown bloodstains, dented helmets, notched longswords, and clothing sellers: leather boots, fur cloaks, stained coats with suspicious holes.She knew many of them, the gauntlet, the white sunburst, the moose, and the battle-axe, all of which belonged to the North; yet there were casualties among the Tarlys and the Stormlands, and she saw red and green apples, The three bolts of the Raygoods are on the shield, and the Ambrose ants are on the other harness.Even Lord Tully's own striding hunter appears on many coats of arms, brooches and tunics.Whether he is friend or foe, the crows will take it all.

Pine or basswood shields could be bought for a few coppers, but Brienne didn't stop there.She intended to keep the heavy oak shield Jaime had given her, which he himself had brought to King's Landing from Harrenhal.Pine wood has its advantages. It is lighter and easier to handle, and the soft wood is easy to jam the opponent's sword and axe.But if you are strong enough to bear the weight of oak, it can provide more protection. Duskendale is built around the harbor.To the north of the city is a white cliff, and to the south a rocky peninsula juts out into the water, protecting anchored ships from storms on the narrow sea.The castle itself overlooks the port, and its square bastions and huge round towers can be seen from anywhere in town.In the crowded cobbled streets, walking was faster than horseback riding, so Brienne boarded the mare in a stable and walked, shield slung across the back and bedroll tucked under her arm.

The captain's sister is not hard to find.The Inn of the Seven Swords was the largest inn in the city, with four floors, and stood taller than the neighboring houses, while the house opposite it had richly painted double doors.The painting is a castle in the autumn forest, the trees are outlined in different shades of gold and reddish brown, the old oaks are coiled around the vines, and even the acorns are carefully depicted.Brienne observed carefully, and there were animals among the bushes: a cunning red fox, two sparrows on a branch, and the shadow of a wild boar behind the leaves. "Your door is beautiful," she knocked on the door, and said to the black-haired woman who came to meet her, "What castle is that?"

"It can be any castle," said the captain's sister. "Anyway, I've only seen the brown castle by the pier. The one in the painting is what I imagined, the ideal appearance. By the way, I haven't seen dragons or lions either." Vultures and unicorns." She looked happy, but her face fell when Brienne held out her shield. "My mother used to say that on moonless nights the big bats fly out of Harrenhal and take the bad boys and give them to Mad Daniel to cook. Sometimes I hear them flopping through the narrow window." ’” She licked her teeth thoughtfully. "What would you like to replace it with?"

The sigil of House Tarth was rose and sky blue squared with a yellow sun and crescent moon, but Brienne was now considered a murderer by many and she would not wear it lest she should get into trouble. "Your door reminds me of an old shield I saw in my father's armory." She described the crest from memory in as much detail as she could. The woman nodded. "I can do it right away, but the paint will take a while to dry. Book a room at the Inn of the Seven Swords, if you like, and I'll give you the shield tomorrow morning." Brienne hadn't planned to spend the night in Duskendale, and now it seemed that there was no other way.It was not known if the lord was in the city, or if he would promise to see her.After thanking the painter, she walked across the cobbled street to the inn.Seven wooden swords dangled precariously from a nail above the inn door, their white paint chipped and peeling, but Brienne knew what it meant—they represented the seven Darklins who had worn the Kingsguard. For people in white robes, no two families in the whole kingdom have such an honor.The glory of the family has become the signboard of the inn.She opened the door and entered the hall, asked the owner for a room and took a shower.

He took her to the second floor, where a woman with a liver-colored birthmark on her face brought a wooden bathtub and carried water up bucket by bucket. "Are there any Darklins in Duskendale?" she asked, climbing into the tub. "Ah, of course, I was one of them. My husband said, I was black before marriage, and I was even darker after marriage, not 'Darklin' ). What is it?" She laughed. "Throwing a stone in Duskdale City, it is impossible not to hit a Darklin, or Darkwood, or Dagood, but the noble Darklin is gone. Earl Dennis is the last heir, cute little Stupid. Did you know that before the arrival of the Andals, the Darklins were kings in Duskendale? You can't tell from the way I look at me that I have royal blood, can you?" Your Majesty, another cup Ale', I should have taught my guests to say, 'Your Majesty, clear out the chamber pot and add some new wood—damn your Majesty, the fire is dying.'" She laughed again, pouring out the last bucket of water . "Ah, all right. Do you think the water is hot enough?"

"Okay." The water temperature is a little high. "I could bring some more water up, but it would overflow. The girl's house is so big that it fills the tub." No wonder, it's because the bathtub is small and crappy.The baths at Harrenhal were huge and made of stone.The bathroom was filled with a thick rising mist, and Jaime came through the vapor, as naked as Name Day, part corpse and part god.He climbed into the same tub as me, she remembered, blushing, grabbing a stiff bar of lime soap and scrubbing her elbows, thinking of Renly's face. By the time the water cooled, Brienne felt clean enough.She put on the clothes she had just taken off, with a sword belt tight around her waist, but without mail and helmet, so it would not look too rash to go to Brown Castle.Feel good after bathing.The guards at the gates of the fortress wear leather jackets and bear the badge of two crossed battle axes on a white diagonal cross. "I want to speak to your lord," Brienne told them.

One of the guards laughed, "Then you'd better speak louder." "Lord Lake has gone to Maidenpool with Landau Tarly," another guard said. "He has appointed Sir Rufus Rico as castellan to take care of Lady Lake and the children." They took her to meet Li Ke.Ser Rufus was a stocky man with a gray beard and a severed left leg. "Forgive me for not being able to rise to welcome," he said.Brienne delivers her own letter, but Rico, who cannot read, sends her to the maester.The maester's bald scalp was speckled and he sported a dull red mustache. The maester frowned in exasperation when he heard Hollard's last name. "How many times do I have to say these words?" Her face must have shown her inner feelings. "You think you are the first to come to Dontos? I think it may be the twenty-first. After the king was murdered Within a few days, the golden robe came here with a letter of authorization from Lord Tywin. What do you have?" Brienne showed him the letter, with Tommen's seal and his tender signature on it.Muttering to himself, the maester fiddled with the sealing wax, and finally handed it back. "Looks all right." He sat down on one of the stools and gestured for Brienne to sit on the other. "I don't know Ser Dontos. He was very young when he left Duskendale. Yes, the Hollards were once great. Do you know their arms? Red and pink stripes below, blue on top Three golden crowns on the banner. In the Age of Heroes, Darklin was the lord of this small place, and three of the kings married Hollard women. Later their small kingdom was annexed by the big one, but the Darklin family continued existed, and the Hollards continued to serve them... well, even participated in the rebellion. You know all this?" "Know that," her maester had said. It was the Duskendale Rebellion that had driven King Aerys mad. "In Duskendale today, the people still love Lord Denys, despite the disasters he brought them. They blame everything on Lady Celera, his Myrish wife, 'The Lace Snake'. If Dar Lord Clynn marries a Staunton or a Stokeworth... oh, you know the gossip of the people, that the Lace Snake poured Myrish poison into the ears of her husband, and set Lord Denys up and seized the king, while Ser Simon Hollard, his master, slew Ser Galwyn Gott of the Kingsguard. You see, within these walls Aerys was trapped for half a year, His Hand of the King commanded a large army to sit outside the city. Lord Tywin has enough troops and can break through the city at any time. But Lord Dennis said that as long as he sees signs of attack, he will execute the king." Brienne remembered what happened next. "The king is free," she said, "Barristan the Fearless has brought him out." "Yes," said the bachelor, "after Lord Dennis lost the hostage, he immediately opened the city gate and lowered the rebel flag to prevent Lord Tywin from attacking. He begged for mercy, but the king had no intention of pardoning him. As a result, Lord Dennis, all his brothers, sisters, three Four relatives, the entire Ducklin family lost their heads, and the 'Lace Snake' was burned alive. Poor woman, her tongue and lower body were cut off before being burned. People say that this is her tool to enslave her husband. So far Half the people in Duskendale will still tell you that Aerys was too kind to her." "What about the Hollard family?" "Landless and titled, nearly destroyed," said the maester. "I was forging chokers in the Citadel when these things happened, but I have read the records of trials and punishments. Steward Ser Jon Hollard and Denys's When the younger sister got married, she died at the same time as her wife, and their son was also executed, who was considered to be half Duckling; Robin Hollard was Dennis's attendant. When the king was trapped, Robin danced around him and grabbed him. Robin later died on the rack; Sir Simon Hollard was killed by Ser Barristan when he tried to prevent the king from escaping. In short, the Hollards' lands were confiscated, the castle was demolished, and the village was burned. Like the Darklins, the Hollards are extinct." "Except Dontos." "Yes. Young Dontos was the son of Ser Stevron Hollard, and Ser Simon's twin brother, who died of fever some years ago and was not part of the rebellion. Aerys too He insisted on cutting off the boy's head, but Ser Barristan begged for his life. The king could not refuse his savior, and finally had to bring Dontos back to King's Landing as a squire. As far as I know, he has never returned to Duskendale. What need? He has neither land nor kinsman nor fortress here. It seems to me that if Dontos were to assist this northern girl in murdering our good king, he would go as far away as possible. You should go to Oldtown, or across the Narrow Sea. To Dorne, to the Wall. Go somewhere else." He stood up. "I heard a crow calling. Excuse me, and leave." The way back to the inn seemed to be longer than to Brown Castle, perhaps because of her mood.She couldn't find Sansa in Duskendale, that was pretty obvious.The maester decided that Ser Dontos had taken her to Oldtown or across the Narrow Sea, in which case Brienne's mission would be hopeless.What was she going to do in Oldtown?Brienne asked herself, the maester didn't know her, and he didn't know anything about Hollard.Strangers should not be consulted. In King's Landing, Brienne discovers one of Sansa's original handmaidens doing laundry in a brothel. "Before I served Lady Sansa, I served Lord Renly, and they both became traitors," the woman named Berena complained bitterly. Clothes." When Brienne asked about Sansa, she said, "I told you the same as I told Lord Tywin. The girl has been praying. Yes, she will go to the sept to light the candles, like a decent Lady, yet she steals away to the godswood almost every night. Now she must be back in the north, yes, back to her god." The north was vast, and which of her father's subjects Sansa trusted, Brienne didn't know.Will she go to relatives?Although her siblings had been killed, she had an uncle and a bastard half brother who served as night watchmen on the Wall. Her uncle Edmure Tully was imprisoned in the Twins, but her uncle announced that Linden The ser holds Riverrun, and Lady Catelyn's sister rules the Vale.Blood is thicker than water.Sansa will most likely go to one of these relatives.But which one? The Great Wall is obviously too far away, and too cold and harsh; if you want to go to Riverrun, the girl has to cross the war-torn Three Rivers Valley, and break through the encirclement and blockade of the Lannister army; the Eyrie City is easier, and Lady Lysa will definitely welcome it sister's daughter... The alley turned a corner ahead, and at some point Brienne made a wrong turn and entered a dead end.It was a small muddy yard, and three pigs were scrambling under a low stone well.One of them screamed when it saw her, and the old woman who drew the water looked her up and down suspiciously. "What do you want to do?" "I'm looking for the Seven Swords Inn." "Back the way you came. Turn left at the church." "Thank you." Brienne turned and walked back the way she came, but bumped into a hurrying person at the corner, knocking him down in the mud. "Excuse me," she whispered.He was a skinny boy with thinning straight hair and a stye under one eye. "You're not hurt?" She put out a hand to help him up, but the boy squirmed back on his heels and elbows and ducked away.He was only eleven or twelve years old, but he wore chain mail and carried a long sword on his back in a leather scabbard. "Do you know me?" Brienne asked.His face was vaguely familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen it. "No. I don't. You don't..." He got up hurriedly. "Please—please—excuse me, ma'am, I didn't see it. I mean, I was looking, but at the feet. I was Look at your feet. Look at my own feet." The boy turned and ran straight the way he had come. This incident aroused Brienne's suspicions a lot, but she wasn't planning on catching kids in the streets of Duskendale with great fanfare.Outside the city gates this morning, I saw him, she realized, riding a piebald horse.It seems to have seen it elsewhere, where is it? By the time Brienne found the Inn of the Seven Swords, the hall was already full of people.Four nuns sat around the fire, their robes stained with dust and mud from the journey.The rest of the benches were occupied by locals, dipping bread into the warm crab paste. The smell made her stomach rumble, but there were no seats available.At this time, a voice behind her said, "Miss, come here, take my seat." It was not until he jumped off the bench that Brienne realized that the other party was a dwarf, less than five feet tall, with a nose Lumpy, with protruding blood vessels, and teeth reddened by chewing sour grass leaves for many years.He wore the rough brown robes of an ordinary monk, and around his muscular neck hung the hammer of a blacksmith. "Sit down," she said, "I'll just stand up." "That's right, but it's not so easy for me to hit the roof when I'm standing." The dwarf's voice was hoarse, but his attitude was respectful.Brienne looked at the manicured baldness of his head, the way many monks shave it.According to Sister Royla, this means that nothing is hidden from the Father. "Can't Heavenly Father see through hair?" Brienne asked immediately.Naturally, it's stupid to ask.She had always been a dull child, Sister Royla had often said of her.At this moment, she couldn't help realizing her stupidity again, so she silently sat at the end of the bench where the dwarf had been, motioned for a crab paste stew, and then turned her head to express her thanks. "Do you serve in the Duskendale Sept, brother?" "My sanctuary is near Maidenpool, miss, but it was burned by wolves," the man answered, biting a piece of bread. "We rebuilt it as best we could, and then a gang of mercenaries came. I can't tell whose, but they were savagely robbing pigs and slaughtering brothers. I hid in a hollow log, and the others were too big. Big, not spared. Thanks to the blacksmith for giving me strength, it took me a long time to bury them all. When I was done, I dug out the few coins buried by the elders and wandered alone." "I have met some of your brothers, who are on their way to King's Landing." "Yes, there are hundreds of people on the road, including not only ordinary monks like me, but also monks, ordinary people...all of them are sparrows. Look, I should be a sparrow too, at least the blacksmith made me small enough ’” he giggled, “what’s wrong with you, miss?” "I am looking for my sister. She is of noble birth, only thirteen years old, and a pretty maiden, with blue eyes and aubergine hair. You may see her traveling with a knight or jester. I will pay the man who finds her Gold coins are paid." "Gold coins?" The monk showed his red teeth and gave her a bright red smile, "A bowl of crab paste is enough for me, I'm afraid I can't help you. I have encountered a lot of clowns, but very few beautiful virgins Already." He raised his head and thought for a while. "Wait, there is a clown haunting Maiden Springs, I just remembered. According to my observation, he is ragged and full of dirt, but he is indeed wearing a colorful clown suit." Will Dontos Hollard wear a clown suit?No one told Brienne... but no one said he couldn't wear it either.Why is he in rags?Could it be that something happened to him and Sansa after they fled King's Landing?This is very possible, the road is very dangerous.Or it might not be him at all. "Does this clown... have a red nose covered in tiny veins?" "I can't say for sure. I must admit I didn't pay much attention to him. After I buried my brothers, I went to Maidenpool, thinking I'd find a boat for King's Landing. I first caught a glimpse of the clown by the docks. He behaved like a ghost." Gui Chongchong, carefully avoiding Lord Tully's soldiers. Later, I met him again at the Stinky Goose Tavern." "The Goose Tavern?" she said uncertainly. "A notorious place," the dwarf admitted, "the docks at Maidenpool are patrolled by Lord Tarly's men, but the Goose is full of sailors, who are known to sneak men aboard for enough The clown wants to offer three men a boat across the Narrow Sea, and I used to watch him there negotiating with the oarsmen off the boat. Sometimes he sings funny ditties." "Three people? Not two?" "Three, lady, I swear by the Seven." Three, she thought, Sansa, Ser Dontos . . . who is the third?little devil? "Has the clown found the boat?" "I don't know for sure," the dwarf told her, "but one night Lord Tarly's soldiers came looking for him at the Goose Tavern, and a few days later I heard another man boast that he had tricked a clown and had gold coins To prove it. After he got drunk, he bought wine for everyone." "Coaxed a clown," she said, "what does that mean?" "I don't know. His name is Smart Dick. I remember that." The dwarf spread his hands. "Besides the little man's prayers, that's all I can offer you, I'm afraid." Brienne kept her word and bought him a bowl of warm crab paste...with fresh bread and a glass of wine.He stood by and ate while Brienne pondered what he had told him.Is it possible that the imp joins them?If Sansa's disappearance was planned by Tyrion Lannister rather than Dontos Hollard, then fleeing to the other side of the Narrow Sea is obviously the preferred option. After the short man drank the crab paste from his own bowl, he ate what was left of her. "You should eat more," he said, "a woman of your size needs to maintain her strength; Maiden Springs is not far, but the nearest road is dangerous." I know.Ser Cleo Frey had died that way, and she and Ser Jaime had been caught by the Mummers of Blood.It was Jaime who tried to kill me first, she remembered, though he was gaunt and weak and had chains on his hands.Even so, he almost made it - and that was before Zoro chopped off his right hand.Later... if James hadn't told Zorro, Rorge and Shagwell that she was worth as much sapphire as her weight, they would have raped her dozens of times. "Miss? You look sad, miss your sister?" The dwarf patted the back of her hand lightly. "Don't worry, the crone will light your way and guide you to find her. Our Lady will keep her safe." "I hope you're right." "It must be right." He bowed. "I have to go. It's still a long way to King's Landing Road." "Have you got a horse? Have a mule?" "I have two mules," laughed the dwarf, "right here, under my feet. They can carry me to the ends of the earth." He bowed again, and staggered toward the door. After he left, she was still sitting at the table, sipping a glass of red wine with water.Brienne doesn't drink often, but trying it once in a while helps calm her mind.What's next?She asked herself, go to Maiden Springs, go to the "Smelly Goose Tavern" to find "Smart Dick"? The Maiquan city she saw last time was in ruins. The lord closed the gate of the castle tightly and hid in it. The common people died, fled, and hid.She remembered charred houses, empty streets, and smashed city gates.Wandering dogs stalked their steeds, and their bloated, rotting carcasses floated like great pale lotuses in the pools of converging springs from which the town took its name.I begged James to be quiet, but he sang "Six Girls in the Same Pool" and laughed.Randyll Tarly was in Maidenpool now, which was another reason she didn't want to go.Perhaps it would be better to search for Gulltown or White Harbor by boat.But I can go both places.First visit the Stinky Goose Tavern, talk to Dick Dick, and then hire a boat in Maidenpool to head north. The crowd in the hall thinned out.Brienne tore the bread while listening to the conversation at the other tables, most of which had to do with the death of Lord Tywin Lannister. "It is said that he was murdered by his own son," a local man who looked like a shoemaker was saying, "it was that little deformed monkey." "The king is but a boy," said the eldest of the four nuns, "and who will rule over us until he comes of age?" "Lord Tywin's younger brother," said a guard, "or that Lord Tyrell, or Kingslayer." "It won't be him," asserted the shopkeeper, "it won't be the one who broke the oath!" He spat into the fire.Brienne dropped the bread and slapped the crumbs off her trousers.She has heard enough. That night, she dreamed that she was back in Renly's tent again.All the candles were extinguished, and a thick chill surrounded me.Something, something evil and horrible was moving through the green-light darkness, toward her king.She wanted to protect him, but her limbs were cold and stiff, and she didn't even have the strength to raise her hand.The shadow sword cut open the green iron throat guard, and blood spurted out.She discovers that the dying king is not Renly, but Jaime Lannister, and she has failed him. She was drinking honey milk mixed with three raw eggs when the captain's sister found her in the hall.The woman showed her the newly painted shield. "You draw beautifully," she said.It was more of a painting than a coat of arms strictly speaking, and it seemed to take her back many years, back to her father's dark and cool armory.She remembered how her fingers fumbled with chipped and faded paint, slid across the green leaves of trees, and followed the trails of shooting stars. Brienne paid the captain's sister half the price that was originally negotiated, then asked the cook to buy some dry bread, cheese and flour, put the shield on her shoulder, and left the inn.She left town by the north gate and rode slowly across fields and farms where the fiercest fighting had taken place when the cubs attacked Duskendale. Lord Randyll Tarly commands Joffrey's army. Most of the soldiers are from the West and the Stormlands, but the core is the knights of the Reach.If any of his men fell here, they were carried into the city to be buried in the hero's burial place of the Duskendale Sept; while the dead Northmen, though much more numerous, were all buried in a public grave by the sea, in their towering cemetery. On the grave, the victor erected a rough wooden tablet, on which were written only two big characters "Wolf Grave".Brienne paused beside it, praying silently for the northerners who died in battle, and for Catelyn Stark and her son Robb, and for all who died with them. She remembered the night when Lady Catelyn learned of the deaths of her two young sons.She left them at Winterfell to keep them safe.Brienne had a hunch that something was wrong from the start, and she asked Lady Catelyn if she had any news of her sons. "I have no sons but Robb," replied Lady Catelyn, and it sounded like a dagger was churning in her voice.Brienne reached across the table to comfort her, but stopped just before touching her hand, afraid she would flinch.Catelyn opened her palm, showing Brienne the scars on the palm and fingers where a Valyrian dagger had cut deep into the flesh.Then she started talking about her daughter. "Sansa is a little lady," she said, "polite and charming at all times. She loves to hear stories of knights' valor. People say she looks like me, but she'll grow up to be better than I was." Much prettier, you will understand when you see her. I often dismiss her maid and comb her hair myself. Her hair is maroon, lighter than mine, thick and soft... The red hair is like the light of a torch, Shine like copper." She also spoke of Arya, her younger daughter, but Arya had long since disappeared, and was probably dead now.But Sansa... I will find her, lady, Brienne swears by Lady Catelyn's restless figure, and I will not give up.If necessary, I would sacrifice my life, my honor, all my dreams, and I would find her. After the battlefield, the road runs along the coast, sandwiched between a choppy gray-green sea and a row of low limestone hills.Brienne was not the only traveler on the road. There were many fishing villages along the long coastline, and fishermen used this road to take their fish to the market to sell.She passes a fisherwoman and her daughters, returning home with empty baskets on their shoulders.Since she was in armor, they all thought they had met a knight, until they saw her face.The girls whispered to each other and eyed her. "Did you see a thirteen-year-old virgin along the way?" she asked them. "A noble maiden with blue eyes and auburn hair?" Ser Shadridge's story had alarmed her, but she had to keep trying. "She's probably going with a clown." But they just shook their heads and giggled with their hands over their mouths. In the first village she reached, barefoot boys ran after her horse.She was so embarrassed by the laughter of the fishermen that she had to wear a helmet, so that people who came after her took her for a man.One boy was going to sell her clams, another crabs, and a third his sister. Brienne bought three crabs from the second boy.When we left the village, it started to rain and the wind picked up.A storm is coming, she thought, looking out to sea.The raindrops on the helmet along the way made her ears buzz, which was more comfortable than fishing boats in the sea. Continue northward for an hour, the road forks, and here is a pile of rocks, apparently a small deserted castle.The right fork goes along the coast and then winds, leading to the Crab Claw Peninsula, a barren and barren swamp; the left fork passes through hills, fields and woods, leading to Maiden Springs.It rained harder.Brienne dismounted from the mare and led her off the road to shelter from the rain among the ruins.Among the brambles, the weeds, and the wild elms, the ramparts could be discerned, but the fortification stones were scattered between the two roads like a child's blocks.Part of the keep stood, its three towers of gray granite like the broken walls, but their top merlons were of yellow sandstone.Three crowns, she gazed through the rain, three crowns of gold.This must be the home of House Hollard, where Ser Dontos may have been born. She led the horse through the rubble to the castle gate.Only the rusted hinges of the city gate remained, but the roof was still intact, and the rain did not leak inside.Brienne tied the horse to a candlestick on the wall, took off her helmet, and shook her hair to dry.As she searched for dry wood to light the fire, she heard the sound of horses' hooves approaching.Instinctively she retreated into the shadows, out of sight from the road.She and Ser Jaime had been taken captive on this road last time, and it was not to be repeated. The rider was a small man, and she saw it right away. It was Mad Rat, she thought, and he was following me.Brienne's finger went to the hilt of the sword, wondering if Ser Shadridge thought he had found good prey, for she was a woman.Earl Granderson's acting castellan made such a mistake.His name was Humphry Wagstaff, and he was sixty-five years old, a pompous old man with a hook nose and a head dotted with age spots.On the day of the engagement, he warned Brienne to be a decent woman after marriage. "I forbid my lady to go about in a man's armor. You must obey, lest I punish you." At that time, she was sixteen years old, and she was proficient in swordsmanship. She was brave in the school field, but she was still a little shy.She mustered up the courage to tell Sir Humphrey that she must be defeated before she could be punished.The old knight, purple with rage, put on his armor and taught her to do her womanly duty.They had fought with blunt objects, so Brienne's mace had no spikes, but she had still broken Ser Humphrey's collarbone and two ribs, and the engagement had broken off.This is her third fiancé and the last.After that, her father stopped insisting on her marriage. Had it been Ser Shadridge who was following her, there was likely to be a fierce fight ahead.She didn't want to cooperate with that man, and she didn't want him to follow her to Sansa.He has a poised confidence that comes from mastery, she thought, but he's small and I have longer and stronger arms. Brienne was as strong as most knights, and her former master had said that a woman of her stature could not have been so agile.In addition, the gods had endowed her with good stamina, which Sir Goodwin thought was incredible.Fighting with sword and shield is hard work, and victory often goes to those who can endure the most.Sir Goodwin taught her to fight cautiously, to seduce and wear down opponents while conserving her strength. "Men will always underestimate you," he said. "Ego drives them to push hard because they're afraid of being told they've messed up women so badly." When she found herself on her own, he found out that he was telling the truth.在女泉城边的树林里，连詹姆·兰尼斯特也以这种方式攻击她。如果诸神保佑，疯鼠将会犯下同样的错误。他或许经验丰富，她心想，但他不是詹姆·兰尼斯特。她将长剑轻轻抽出。 然而，逼近岔路口的并非夏德里奇爵士的栗色战马，而是一匹羸弱衰老的花斑马，背上骑着个瘦瘦的男孩。布蕾妮看到那马之后疑惑地怔了一下。是个小男孩，她心想，直到瞥见兜帽底下的脸。是在暮谷城撞到我身上的男孩。It's him. 男孩看也没看荒废的城堡一眼，便直接顺着一条路望去，然后望向另一条。犹豫片刻之后，他将马拨向丘陵的方向，继续前进。布蕾妮看着他消失在雨帘中，突然想起在罗斯比也见过这个男孩。是他在跟踪我，她意识到，但这游戏双方都可以玩。她解开母马，爬上马鞍，跟在了他后面。 男孩骑马时眼盯地面，注视着积满水的车辙。雨声掩盖了她接近的声响，而他的兜帽无疑也起到一定作用。他从未回头，直到布蕾妮奔到背后，用长剑剑背猛击马臀。 那马人一般立起来，把瘦男孩掀飞出去，他的斗篷像翅膀一样舞动。他落在泥浆中，爬起来时齿间沾满泥土和棕色枯草。布蕾妮翻身下马。就是这男孩，毫无疑问，她认得那颗麦粒肿。“你是谁？”她问道。 男孩无声地动了动嘴巴，眼睛瞪得像鸡蛋那么大。“波，”他只能发出这一个音，“波。”他身上的锁甲跟他一起颤抖，嗒嗒作响。“波。波。” “波？不？”布蕾妮问，“你是说'不要'吗？”她将剑尖抵在他喉结上。“请告诉我你是谁，为何跟着我？” “不、波——波——不要。”他将手指伸进嘴里，挖出一团泥，吐了口唾沫。“波——波——波德。我的名字。波——波——波德瑞克。派——派恩。” 布蕾妮垂下长剑。她忽然间很同情这孩子。记得在暮临厅，一位年轻骑士手执一朵玫瑰来见她。他带玫瑰给我，至少她的修女这么说，并且要她欢迎他。他十八岁，长长的红发坠落在肩，她十二岁，紧扎在一件硬邦邦的新礼服里，胸口缀满闪亮的石榴石。他俩人一般高，但她无法正视他的眼睛，无法说出修女教她的简单话语：罗兰爵士，欢迎您来到我父亲大人的厅堂，终于能与您见面，真是太好了。 “你为何跟着我？”她问男孩，“有人指派你暗中监视？你是瓦里斯还是太后的人？” “不。都不是。谁也不是。” 布蕾妮估计他有十岁，不过她判断小孩年龄的水平很糟，总是低估，或许因为她在同龄人中一直个子高大吧。怪胎，罗伊拉修女曾经评论，你像个男人。“对一个男孩来说，这条路太危险。” “对一个侍从来说，并不危险。我是他的侍从。首相的侍从。” “泰温大人的？”布蕾妮收剑入鞘。 “不。不是这个首相。是前一个。他儿子。我跟他一起战斗，高喊'半人万岁！半人万岁！'” 小恶魔的侍从。布蕾妮甚至不知道他有侍从。提利昂·兰尼斯特并非骑士。他或许有一两个男童照料，她猜测，作为侍卫或侍酒，帮他穿衣服什么的。squire? “你为何跟着我？”她继续追问，“你想干什么？” “我要找到她，”男孩站起身，“找他的夫人。你在找她。贝蕾娜告诉我的。她是他老婆。不是贝蕾娜，是珊莎夫人。因此我想，如果你找到她……”他的脸突然因痛苦而扭曲。“我是他的侍从，”他重复道，雨水从脸上滑落，“他却不要我了。”