Chapter 14 Chapter Thirteen Arya

She was digging vegetables in the garden of the dead when she heard the singing. Arya stopped immediately, motionless as a stone, and suddenly forgot the three radishes in her hand.Blood troupe or Roose Bolton's people?She trembled with fear.It's not fair, just when we finally found the Trident, just when we thought we were almost safe, it's not fair. It's just...why did the blood opera singer sing? The singing came from behind a low slope in the east, floating on the river. "Go to Seagull Town to see beautiful girls, hi, hi..." Arya stood up, the carrot dangling in her hand.The singer seemed to be walking along the path by the river.It could be seen from the expression that Hot Pie who was pulling the cabbage heard it too.Gendry, of course, slept in the shadow of the burning farmhouse, unresponsive.

"Steal a sweet kiss with a sharp sword, hey, hey..." In the soft sound of the river, the playing of the wooden harp is sandwiched. "Did you hear that?" Hot Pie asked hoarsely, holding a pile of cabbages, "Someone is coming." "Wake Gendry up," Arya told him, "just shake your shoulders, don't make a big noise." Gendry was easy to wake up, unlike Hot Pie, who had to kick and growl. "I take her as my lover, and we sleep together under the shade of the tree, hi, hi..." The singing became louder and louder. Hot Pie couldn't help but let go, and the cabbage fell to the ground with a soft "chuckle". "We have to hide."

Where to hide?Burnt-out farmhouses and overgrown gardens stood out by the Trident, with a few willows along the banks, and reedy mud flats, but otherwise, it was all nasty open space.I knew we shouldn't have left the woods, she thought.But they were hungry, and all the bread and cheese stolen from Harrenhal had been eaten in the woods six days before, so the temptation of the garden was too great. "Take Gendry and the horse to the back of the farmhouse," she decided.The wall wasn't quite down yet, and might have hidden the two boys and the three horses—if the horses didn't bark and the singer didn't go this way.

"And you?" "I'll hide under the tree. He may be alone. If he dares to provoke me, I will kill him. Go away!" Hot Pie obediently leaves, and Arya drops the carrot and draws the stolen sword from her back.She strapped the scabbard on her back because it was made for grown men, it didn't fit her size, and it would hit the ground if worn around her waist.It's so heavy, she misses Needle every time she picks up the dumb thing.Anyway, it can kill, and that's enough. She tiptoed to the old willow tree that grew at the bend in the path, and knelt on one knee in the grass and dirt, taking cover from the swaying willow branches.Ancient gods, she prayed, and the singer continued to approach, God of the tree, please protect me, hide me, let him pass, let him pass... A horse neighed, and the singing stopped abruptly.He heard it, and she had no illusions about it, but maybe it was just one person, and even if it wasn't, maybe they were as afraid of us as we were of them.

"Hear that?" a man said, "I bet there's something behind that wall." "That's right," answered another, deeper voice, "what do you think is there, Archer?" It was two people, Arya bit her lip.Because of the willow tree, she couldn't see each other, but could only hear the voice. "A bear." A third voice joins in, or is this the first? "Bears have a lot of meat," said the deep voice, "especially in the fall, when there is a lot of fat, and they are delicious roasted." "Or maybe a wolf or a lion."

"You mean four-legged? Two-legged?" "Four-legged and two-legged are the same breed, aren't they?" "That's different. Only four-legged ones can be eaten. Sagittarius, it's your turn to play." "No problem, shoot a few arrows behind the wall, and everything will come out, just wait and see." "What if there's a decent person behind? What if there's a poor woman with a baby in her arms?" "Decent people should come out and meet us, only gangsters sneak up and hide." "Yes, exactly. Go then, Archer, and let the arrows go."

At this, Arya jumped to her feet. "Stop!" She flashed her long sword.It turned out to be three people. She saw clearly that there were only three people.Syrio was more than enough for three, and she had Hot Pie and Gendry for company.It's a pity that they are boys and the other is an adult. The three of them were all walking, their bodies were covered with mud spots, and they were full of dust.She recognized the one who sang because he was holding a wooden harp like a mother holding a child.He was a small man of about fifty, with a large mouth, a pointed nose, very thinning brown hair, and faded green clothes patched here and there with old leather.A circle of throwing knives was pinned to his waist, and a lumberjack's ax hung from his back.

The person standing next to him was a foot taller than him and looked like a soldier.A longsword and dagger hung from a studded leather swordbelt, rows of overlapping iron rings were sewn into his shirt, and he wore a tapered black iron half-helm.He had yellow teeth, a bushy tawny beard, and a bright yellow cloak with a hood that stood out the most.It was thick and heavy, stained with grass and blood, the lower edge was frayed, and the right shoulder was patched with buckskin.The big cloak was worn on the big man and made him look like a huge yellow bird. The last of the three was a young man, as thin as the longbow in his hand, but not as tall as the longbow.Red hair, freckled face, wearing studded battle armor, high leather boots and fingerless leather gloves, carrying a quiver.He used arrows filled with gray goose feathers, six of which stood like a small fence in the ground in front of him.

Three men stared at her, standing in the middle of the path with long swords in their hands.The singer lazily plucks the strings. "Boy," he said, "put the sword down, it's not a child's toy. Besides, Anguy can shoot you three times before you charge." "No wonder!" said Arya, "and I'm a girl." "Is that so?" The singer bowed, "Forgive me." "You keep walking along the path, go ahead, you keep singing so I know you're gone. Go away, don't mess with us, I won't kill you." The freckle-faced archer laughed loudly, "Lemon, she said she won't kill us, did you hear that?"

"Got it," said Lemon, who was the big soldier with the deep voice. "Son," said the singer, "put down your sword, and we will take you to safety and give you something to eat. There are not only wolves and lions in this part of the world, but there are worse things too, and little girls should not wander alone. " "She's not alone." Gendry rode over the farmhouse wall, followed by Hot Pie, leading her horse.Gendry, dressed in mail and with a long sword in his hand, looked almost like a grown-up man.Hot Pie still looks Hot Pie. "Do as she says, and leave us alone," Gendry warned.

"Two, three," counted the singer, "where are all the people? You still have horses, lovely horses, where did you steal them?" "This is our horse." Arya examined them.The singer divides her mind with talk, but the most dangerous is the archer.If he dares to pull an arrow from the ground... "Are you two decent people, would you give us your names?" the singer asked the two boys. "My name is Hot Pie," Hot Pie replied immediately. "Okay," the other party smiled, "It's not every day that I meet a child with such a good name. What are the names of your two friends, lamb chops and squab?" Gendry sat on his horse, frowning. "Why should I tell you my name? You didn't give your name yourself." "Is that so? Well, I'm Tom from Seven Springs. People call him Seven Strings Tom and Seven Gods Tom. This big idiot, with yellow teeth, is called Lemon, short for Lemon Cape. You know, lemons are yellow, and they taste Sour, too, like his temper. The young lad over there is Anguy, we call him Archer." "Who the hell are you?" Lemon asked in the deep voice Arya had just heard. She won't reveal her real name easily. "Squab if you like," she said, "I don't mind." The big man grinned. "Squab with a sword," he said, "strange, really strange." "My name is Daniel," Gendry said, stepping in front of Arya.Big cattle are at least better than lamb chops. Tom Sevenstrings uttered a cheery note, "Hot Pie, Squab, and Big Bull, did you escape from Lord Bolton's kitchen?" "How do you know?" Arya was at a loss. "Little guy, you clearly wear his coat of arms." She had forgotten that she was still wearing the uniform of a barbeque under the woolen cloak, with the Flayer of the Dreadfort stitched on her breast. "I'm not a kid!" "Isn't it?" Lemon said, "You're just a little kid." "I'm older than I was. And I'm not a child." Children don't kill people, but I do. "I understand, Pigeon, you are not an ordinary child, but a cub of the Bolton family." "Not at all." Hot Pie didn't know how to shut up. "As a matter of fact, we were there before he got to Harrenhal." "So you're lion cubs, aren't you?" said Tom. "It's not right, we are ourselves, not someone else. What about you?" Archer Anguy said, "We are the King's men." Arya frowned. "Which king?" "King Robert," said Lemon in the yellow cloak. "The old drunkard?" Gendry said contemptuously. "He was killed by a wild boar, everybody knows." "Yeah, boy," said Tom Sevenstrings, "it's a pity." He struck a mournful note. Arya doesn't believe that the other party is the king's man.Look at them in rags, like a gang of bandits, without even a horse.The king's men should have horses. Hot Pie was thrilled to hear that. "We're going to Riverrun," he said. "Do you know how many days it takes to ride?" Arya nearly killed him, "Be quiet! Or I'll put a rock in your Benz's mouth." "Riverrun is far upstream," Tom said. "It's so far away that you'll starve your stomachs. Before you go, do you want to have a hot meal? There is an inn not far ahead, which is opened by my friend. I said, let's turn our battles into friendship, toast a few glasses of wine, and eat a few pieces of bread." "An inn?" Arya's stomach growled at the thought of the hot meal, but she didn't trust Tom.Not only those who speak kindly are friends. "Not far ahead?" "Two miles upriver," said Tom, "a league at most." Gendry looked as suspicious as she did. "What do you mean by 'friend'?" he asked cautiously. "A friend is a friend. Have you never heard of this word?" Lemon said. "The shop's name is Sharma," put in Tom, "with a sharp tongue, but I assure you she has a good heart and likes little girls best." "I'm not a little girl," she said angrily. "Who else is there? More than one?" "And Sharma's husband, and an adopted orphan. They won't hurt you. There'll be ale—if you can drink it—and bread, and maybe a little meat." Tom glanced at the farmhouse. "Plus Vegetables you stole from old Pate's garden." "I don't steal," Arya said. "Then you're old Pate's daughter? His sister? His wife? Come on, Squab, I buried old Pate with my own hands, under the willow tree you're hiding in. You don't look like him. ’ He uttered another sad note. "We have buried many good people over the past year, but we don't want to bury you. I swear on the name of this harp. Shooter, show your hand." The shooter moved much faster than Arya had imagined.The arrow whizzed past her head, only an inch from her ear, and pierced into the trunk of a willow tree.Before she came back to her senses, the other party had already picked up the second one, ready to go.She thought she could be "swift as a snake" and "soft as silk" in Syrio's mouth, but now she realized that it was far from it.The arrow "buzzed" like a bee behind him, trembling endlessly. "You missed," she said. "It's even more stupid of you to think that way," said Anguy, "I shoot wherever I point." "Well said," agreed Lemoncloak. The shooter was a dozen steps away from her.We have no chance, Arya thought, if only I had his bow and could use an arrow like him.She lowered her heavy long sword sullenly, and the tip of the sword touched the ground. "Go take a look at this inn," she reluctantly gave in, trying to hide her doubts with words, "but you have to go ahead, and we will ride behind to watch you." Tom Sevenstrings bowed deeply. "Front, back, it doesn't matter. Come on, boys, let us lead the way. Anguy, draw your arrows, they won't help you here." Arya sheathed her sword and walked across the path to meet her friends.They continued to keep their distance from the three strangers. "Hot Pie, get the cabbage," she said, rolling on her horse, "and my carrots." This time he didn't argue.After setting off, the two boys rode their horses slowly as she told them, leaving a distance of more than ten steps from the three walkers, and walked forward along the rutted road.But after a while, they caught up again unknowingly.Tom Seven-String walked very slowly, playing his woodharp as he went. "What songs can you sing?" he asked. "Come with me, will you? Lemons don't get into tune at all, and this Longbow boy only knows their frontier folk songs, and each song must be as long as a hundred lines." "The songs of our frontier are the real songs," said Angay mildly. "Fools sing," Arya said. "Singing makes noise. See, we hear it a long way off, and come and kill you." Tom's smile showed that he didn't think so. "A good man would rather go to hell humming a song." "Neither wolf nor lion escapes us," said Lemon grinningly, "for this is our forest." "But you didn't see us," Gendry said. "Oh, boy, don't be so sure," said Tom, "Some people say less and do more." Hot Pie shifted in the saddle. "I know a song about bears," he said, "for a little bit." Tom's fingers slid across the strings. "Let's come together, Hot Pie." He sang with his head up. "This bear, bear, bear! All black and brown, covered in plush..." Hot Pie joined in with great vigor, even rocking a little in time in the saddle.Arya stared at him in surprise: he had a good voice, and he sang well.She hadn't thought he could do anything but bake bread. A little way on there was a brook that emptied into the Trident, and as they waded across it their singing roused a duck in the reeds.An Gai stood still, bent his bow and set an arrow, and shot it down.Birds landed in the shallows on the shore.Lemon took off her yellow cloak and dipped knee-deep in the water to fetch it, complaining as she went. "Are there real lemons in Sharma's cellar?" Anguy asked Tom, and they cursed as they watched the lemons splash. "Girls in Dorne boiled duck for me with lemons," Archer said wistfully. Across the brook, Tom and Hot Pie continued to sing, while Duck was hung on a leash with lemons.Singing and singing, it seemed that the journey became not so far away, and the inn soon appeared in front of me.It stood at the bend of the Trident, where the river turned south.Arya squinted at it suspiciously.It wasn't like a gangster's lair, she had to admit, with a whitewashed upper floor, a slate roof, and light smoke billowing from the chimney.Everything was normal, even a little cordial.The stables and other buildings surrounded it, and there was a gazebo at the back, some apple trees, and a small garden.The inn even has a pier that juts out into the river, and... "Gendry," she whispered eagerly, "they have boats. We'll go the rest of the way by boat, which will be faster than horseback." He seemed suspicious. "Have you ever sailed a boat?" "Raise the sails," she said, "and the wind will carry you away." "What if the wind is not going the right way?" "And the oars." "Paddling against the current?" Gendry frowned. "Isn't that slow? What if the boat capsizes and falls into the water? Besides, it's not our boat, it's the inn's boat." We can take it, Arya thought, but she bit her lip and said nothing.They dismounted in front of the stables, and though they could not see the other animals, there was fresh dung in the corrals. "One must be left to watch the horses," she said warily. This was heard by Tom, "It's not necessary, squab, come in and eat, they're fine." "I'll stay," Gendry said, ignoring the singer. "Come and replace me after you finish eating." Arya nodded and turned to chase Hot Pie and Lemons.The longsword was still scabbard on her back, and she kept a hand on the dagger she had stolen from Roose Bolton, just in case. Hanging on the iron pillar by the door is a signboard, which depicts a kneeling old king.Entering the lobby, a tall, ugly woman with a knobbly chin stood akimbo, glaring at her, "Don't stand there, boy," she yelled, "You seem to be a woman? Whoever you are , don't block my door anyway. Come in or go out. Lemon, has my mother told you about the floor hundreds of times? You're covered in mud!" "We shot a duck." Lemon held it up like a white flag. The woman snatched it, "Anguy shot a duck. Take your boots off, are you deaf or stupid?" She turned and called, "Honey! Come up, the brats are back. Man!" A man in a stained apron came grunting up from the cellar.He was a head shorter than the woman, with a fat face and herpes marks on his loose yellow skin. "Here we come, wife, don't yell. What's the matter?" "Hang it up," she said, shoving the duck to him. Angai rubbed his feet. "We thought we could eat it, Sharma, if you have lemons, you can cook them." "Lemons? Where am I going to get lemons? Do you think this is Dorne, you freckled fool? Why don't you jump up on the lemon tree and get us a basketful of delicious olives and pomegranates?" She waved at him. finger. "I don't have lemons. If you really want to eat, you can cook the duck with a lemon cloak, but hang it up for a few days. It's rabbit or nothing for this meal. If you're hungry, roast it on the fork; no hurry Well, just stew with ale and onions." Arya's mouth watered hearing her say that. "We have no money, but we brought some radishes and cabbages, which we can exchange with you." "Really? Where are they?" "Hot Pie, give her the cabbage," Arya said.He did so, albeit cautiously, as if taking her for Rorge, Fang, or Vargo Hurt. The woman looked carefully at the vegetables, and then at the boy. "Where's Hot Pie?" "Here. Me, my name is Hot Pie. She's a... er... Squab." "Under the eaves of my mother, you have to change your name. Food and people can't be mixed together. Husband!" The husband was about to sneak out, but when she called her, he hurried back. "The duck is hung up, what else is there, wife?" "Wash the vegetables!" she ordered, "I'll get the food, all of you just sit still and let my boy come and make a drink." She looked at Arya and Hot Pie along her long nose. "I give no ale to the children, but the cider is gone, and there are no cows to milk, and the river tastes like war. So many dead people drift down the river, I'll give you a soup full of dead flies, you Will you drink it?" "Ally will," said Hot Pie, "I mean, Squabs will." "Lemons too," Angai smiled maliciously. "Don't worry about lemons," Sharma said, "everyone drinks ale." She swept towards the kitchen in a panic. Anguy and Tom Sevenstrings took a table near the fire and sat down, while Lemon looked for a place to hang his great yellow cloak.Hot Pie plopped down on the bench by the door, and Arya squeezed beside him. Tom unloaded the harp. "There's a lonely inn in the woods lane," he sang, playing the tune slowly to match the words. "The store's wife is as ugly as a toad..." "Change the song, otherwise you won't be able to eat rabbits," Lemon warned him, "You know what kind of character she is." Arya leaned closer to Hot Pie. "Can you sail a boat?" she asked.Before he could answer, a pudgy boy of about fifteen or sixteen appeared with glasses of ale.Hot Pie took it reverently in both hands, took a sip, and smiled as brightly as Arya had ever seen her before. "Ale," he sighed softly, "and rabbits." "Oh, cheers to Your Majesty!" Archer Anguy raised his cup and shouted happily, "Seven gods bless the king!" "Oh, boy, don't be so sure," said Tom, "Some people say less and do more." Hot Pie shifted in the saddle. "I know a song about bears," he said, "for a little bit." Tom's fingers slid across the strings. "Let's come together, Hot Pie." He sang with his head up. "This bear, bear, bear! All black and brown, covered in plush..." Hot Pie joined in with great vigor, even rocking a little in time in the saddle.Arya stared at him in surprise: he had a good voice, and he sang well.She hadn't thought he could do anything but bake bread. A little way on there was a brook that emptied into the Trident, and as they waded across it their singing roused a duck in the reeds.An Gai stood still, bent his bow and set an arrow, and shot it down.Birds landed in the shallows on the shore.Lemon took off her yellow cloak and dipped knee-deep in the water to fetch it, complaining as she went. "Are there real lemons in Sharma's cellar?" Anguy asked Tom, and they cursed as they watched the lemons splash. "Girls in Dorne boiled duck for me with lemons," Archer said wistfully. Across the brook, Tom and Hot Pie continued to sing, while Duck was hung on a leash with lemons.Singing and singing, it seemed that the journey became not so far away, and the inn soon appeared in front of me.It stood at the bend of the Trident, where the river turned south.Arya squinted at it suspiciously.It wasn't like a gangster's lair, she had to admit, with a whitewashed upper floor, a slate roof, and light smoke billowing from the chimney.Everything was normal, even a little cordial.The stables and other buildings surrounded it, and there was a gazebo at the back, some apple trees, and a small garden.The inn even has a pier that juts out into the river, and... "Gendry," she whispered eagerly, "they have boats. We'll go the rest of the way by boat, which will be faster than horseback." He seemed suspicious. "Have you ever sailed a boat?" "Raise the sails," she said, "and the wind will carry you away." "What if the wind is not going the right way?" "And the oars." "Paddling against the current?" Gendry frowned. "Isn't that slow? What if the boat capsizes and falls into the water? Besides, it's not our boat, it's the inn's boat." We can take it, Arya thought, but she bit her lip and said nothing.They dismounted in front of the stables, and though they could not see the other animals, there was fresh dung in the corrals. "One must be left to watch the horses," she said warily. This was heard by Tom, "It's not necessary, squab, come in and eat, they're fine." "I'll stay," Gendry said, ignoring the singer. "Come and replace me after you finish eating." Arya nodded and turned to chase Hot Pie and Lemons.The longsword was still scabbard on her back, and she kept a hand on the dagger she had stolen from Roose Bolton, just in case. Hanging on the iron pillar by the door is a signboard, which depicts a kneeling old king.Entering the lobby, a tall, ugly woman with a knobbly chin stood akimbo, glaring at her, "Don't stand there, boy," she yelled, "You seem to be a woman? Whoever you are , don't block my door anyway. Come in or go out. Lemon, has my mother told you about the floor hundreds of times? You're covered in mud!" "We shot a duck." Lemon held it up like a white flag. The woman snatched it, "Anguy shot a duck. Take your boots off, are you deaf or stupid?" She turned and called, "Honey! Come up, the brats are back. Man!" A man in a stained apron came grunting up from the cellar.He was a head shorter than the woman, with a fat face and herpes marks on his loose yellow skin. "Here we come, wife, don't yell. What's the matter?" "Hang it up," she said, shoving the duck to him. Angai rubbed his feet. "We thought we could eat it, Sharma, if you have lemons, you can cook them." "Lemons? Where am I going to get lemons? Do you think this is Dorne, you freckled fool? Why don't you jump up on the lemon tree and get us a basketful of delicious olives and pomegranates?" She waved at him. finger. "I don't have lemons. If you really want to eat, you can cook the duck with a lemon cloak, but hang it up for a few days. It's rabbit or nothing for this meal. If you're hungry, roast it on the fork; no hurry Well, just stew with ale and onions." Arya's mouth watered hearing her say that. "We have no money, but we brought some radishes and cabbages, which we can exchange with you." "Really? Where are they?" "Hot Pie, give her the cabbage," Arya said.He did so, albeit cautiously, as if taking her for Rorge, Fang, or Vargo Hurt. The woman looked carefully at the vegetables, and then at the boy. "Where's Hot Pie?" "Here. Me, my name is Hot Pie. She's a... er... Squab." "Under the eaves of my mother, you have to change your name. Food and people can't be mixed together. Husband!" The husband was about to sneak out, but when she called her, he hurried back. "The duck is hung up, what else is there, wife?" "Wash the vegetables!" she ordered, "I'll get the food, all of you just sit still and let my boy come and make a drink." She looked at Arya and Hot Pie along her long nose. "I give no ale to the children, but the cider is gone, and there are no cows to milk, and the river tastes like war. So many dead people drift down the river, I'll give you a soup full of dead flies, you Will you drink it?" "Ally will," said Hot Pie, "I mean, Squabs will." "Lemons too," Angai smiled maliciously. "Don't worry about lemons," Sharma said, "everyone drinks ale." She swept towards the kitchen in a panic. Anguy and Tom Sevenstrings took a table near the fire and sat down, while Lemon looked for a place to hang his great yellow cloak.Hot Pie plopped down on the bench by the door, and Arya squeezed beside him. Tom unloaded the harp. "There's a lonely inn in the woods lane," he sang, playing the tune slowly to match the words. "The store's wife is as ugly as a toad..." "Change the song, otherwise you won't be able to eat rabbits," Lemon warned him, "You know what kind of character she is." Arya leaned closer to Hot Pie. "Can you sail a boat?" she asked.Before he could answer, a pudgy boy of about fifteen or sixteen appeared with glasses of ale.Hot Pie took it reverently in both hands, took a sip, and smiled as brightly as Arya had ever seen her before. "Ale," he sighed softly, "and rabbits." "Oh, cheers to Your Majesty!" Archer Anguy raised his cup and shouted happily, "Seven gods bless the king!" "Bless all kings," muttered Lemoncloak.He took a sip and wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand. The landlady's husband hurried through the front door with a pile of washed vegetables in his apron. "There are horses in the stables!" he announced, as if they didn't know it yet. "Yes," said Tom, putting down the wood-harp, "better than the three you sent." The husband threw the vegetables on the table angrily. "It's not a gift, it's a sale! A good price and a boat. Anyway, it's your fellows' duty to get the horse back." I knew they were bandits, Arya thought as she listened.She reached under the table and felt the handle of the dagger to make sure it was still there.If they dare to rob, I will make them regret it. "Nobody ever goes that way," Lemon said. "Uh, I told them to go this way. You must be drunk or overslept." "We? Drunk?" Tom took a deep gulp of his ale. "Never." "You can do it yourself," Lemon told the landlady's husband. "Why, with this child? I'll say it again, my old lady went to Yangchang Town to help Finmu give birth to a baby. You guys probably made that poor girl pregnant." He gave Tom a sour look. "Look at what? It's you! I'll bet you played some sad tune on that harp to make poor Finm undress." "If singing and playing the piano can make a girl take off her clothes and feel the warm and bright sunshine, is it the singer's fault?" asked Tom. "Besides, she's looking at Anguy. 'Can I touch your bow?' I heard her ask, 'Ooooh, it's slippery and hard, will it work if I pull it?'" The husband snorted, "It doesn't matter if it's you or An Gai. Anyway, I should be responsible for the loss of the horse. I said, there are three of them, how can I deal with three?" "Three?" Lemon snorted, "One is a woman, the other wears an iron chain, you said it yourself." The husband grimaced, "Big woman dressed like a man. And the one with the chain... I hate his eyes." An Gai, who was drinking, laughed and said, "If I don't like anyone's eyes, I shoot them through." Arya remembered the arrow that brushed against her ear, and suddenly wanted to take him as her teacher. The husband was unmoved, "Senior, be quiet when you talk! Just drink alcohol, keep your tongue, or I will ask my old lady to give you a spoon." "Ha, old man, you should be the one who is afraid of sister-in-law. Well, at least you don't have to teach me to drink." He swallowed a big mouthful as he spoke, as proof. Arya took a swig too.They had drank from brooks and pits and the murky waters of the Trident these days, and the ale was as good now as the wine her father had allowed her to sip from a glass on special occasions.The aromas wafting from the kitchen made her salivate, and she forced herself to think about the boat.Driving a ship is harder than stealing it.Just wait until they fall asleep... Little boys appeared with large rounds of bread.Arya hurriedly tore off a chunk and bit into it.Crude and tough, not tasty and burnt on the bottom. Hot Pie took a sip and grimaced. "This bread is terrible," he said. "Not only is it burnt, but it's hard on the inside." "It would be better with some broth," said Lemon. "Hell, you won't be grinning," Anguy said. "Dipping in water will only keep your teeth from being knocked out." "Damn it, boy, you either eat it or stay hungry," the husband said. "Do I look like a fucking baker? You can make it right here?" "Of course I can," said Hot Pie. "It's easy. You knead the dough a little too much and that's why it's so hard to chew." He took another sip of his ale and started talking about bread and pies and scones —These are his favorite things.Arya rolled her eyes. Tom sat across from her. "Squab," he said, "whatever your real name is, Ali, this is for you." He placed a dirty piece of parchment on the wooden tabletop between them. She looked at it suspiciously. "what is this?" "Three golden dragon coins. Used to buy horses." Arya was alert. "That's our horse." "You stole the horses, didn't you? There's nothing to be ashamed of, boy. A hateful war turns decent men into thieves." Tom tapped the folded parchment. "We paid a high price. To be honest, those three horses are not worth so much." Hot Pie grabbed the parchment and opened it to look. "No gold coins," he complained loudly, "only a few words." "Yes," said Tom, "I'm sorry about that. But when the war is over, we'll honor it, and I'm the King's man, and I promise you in the name of the King." Arya pushed the table away and stood up, "You are not the king's men, you are robbers!" "Whenever you meet real robbers, you'll see the difference. They'll never pay compensation, not even an IOU. Son, we don't want horses for ourselves, but for our country, to come and go Convenience, so that I can go to the war in time. Fight for the king. Will you refuse the king?" They all looked at her; Anguy the Archer, Lemon the Big, and the husband with the sallow face and wandering eyes.Even Sharma, who was standing by the kitchen door, squinted.No matter what I say, they'll take our horses, she realized, and she'll have to walk to Riverrun unless... "We don't want paper," Arya slapped the parchment from Hot Pie's hand, "we want outside I need you to teach me how to use that boat." Tom Sevenstrings glared at her for a moment, and then his big mouth seemed suddenly unstoppable, and he burst out laughing.Anguy was laughing too, everyone was laughing, Lemoncloak, Sharma, the husband, even the wait boy... He came out from behind the barrel with a crossbow under his arm.Arya wanted to scream at them, she forced herself to smile... "There are cavalry!" Gendry screamed warily, kicking the door and barging in. "There are cavalry!" He panted, "Come along the path by the river, there are more than a dozen of them." Hot Pie jumped up and knocked over the glass, but Tom and the others remained calm. "It's not right to spill the best ale on my old lady's floor," said Sharma. "Sit down, boy, here comes the rabbit. And you, girl, whatever has happened to you is over and over. Yes. You are now with the king's men, and we will keep you safe." 艾莉亚惟一的反应就是伸手过肩去拔剑，刚拔出一半，手腕就被柠檬扣住。 “够了！你想干嘛！”他扭她的胳膊，直到她松手。他的指头坚硬而布满老茧，十分有力。coming!艾莉亚心想，又来了！我又要回到湖边的仓库，又要见到奇斯威克、甜嘴拉夫和魔山。他们要偷走我的剑，让我变回老鼠！她左手握住酒杯，朝柠檬的脸砸去。麦酒涌出来，溅入他的眼睛，接着是鼻子断裂声和喷射的鲜血。他吼叫着双手去捂，她则获得了自由。 “大家快跑！”她一边尖叫，一边飞箭般跑开。 柠檬立即赶上，他的长腿一步当她三步。虽然她又扭又踢，却依旧被他轻松提离地面，在空中挣扎摇晃。血从他脸上流下来。 “停下，你这小笨蛋，”他边喊边晃她，“快停下！”詹德利要过来帮她，但七弦汤姆掏出匕首挡在前面。 要逃来不及了。外面传来马嘶和人声，片刻之后，一个泰洛西人昂首阔步地走进门来。他比柠檬更高大，浓密的大胡子末端是亮绿色，新长出来的却是灰色。后面跟着两名十字弓兵，扶一个伤员，然后是其他人…… 艾莉亚没见过如此衣杉褴褛的队伍，但他们手中的长剑、战斧和弓箭很精良。有两人进门时好奇地瞥了她几眼，但没有说话。一个戴生锈半盔的独眼人嗅嗅空气，咧嘴微笑，一个满头僵硬黄发的弓箭手大叫着要麦酒。队伍末尾是一个戴狮冠盔的长矛兵，一个跛腿老人，一个布拉佛斯雇佣兵和…… “哈尔温？”艾莉亚轻声道。It's him!It really is him!透过胡子和纠结的头发，她看见胡伦儿子的脸，他从前常牵她的小马在院里走动，常跟琼恩和罗柏一起练习长枪冲刺，在宴会上他酒量惊人。而今他虽瘦了，却变得强壮，还留起了以前从未留过的胡子。真的是他——她父亲的人！ “哈尔温！”她挣扎着向前去，试图挣脱柠檬铁一般的抓握。 “是我啊，”她喊，“哈尔温，是我，你不认识我了吗，不认识了吗？”泪水涌出来，她发现自己像婴儿一样哭泣，又变回从前那个苯女孩。 “哈尔温，是我啊！” 哈尔温看看她的脸，又看看她衣服上的剥皮人。“你认识我？”他怀疑地皱起眉头，“剥皮人纹章……伺候水蛭大人的小厮怎会认识我？” 一时她不知如何回答。她有过那么多名字，她真的还是艾莉亚·史塔克吗？“我是女生，”她抽泣着，“我是波顿大人的侍酒，但他要把我交给山羊，所以我跟詹德利和热派一起逃了。你一定认识我的！我小时候，你牵过我的小马。” His eyes widened. “诸神在上，”他的声音噎住了，“捣蛋鬼艾莉亚？柠檬，快把她放开。” “这家伙打断了我的鼻子。”柠檬随手把她扔在地上。“七层地狱，她究竟是什么人？” “她是首相之女。”哈尔温单膝跪下。“临冬城的艾莉亚·史塔克。”