Chapter 36 Chapter Thirty-Five Caitlin

"Ma'am, you should send a message first," said Sir Donnel Waywood to her as they rode up the pass, "and then we can send an escort. The roads are not as safe these days as they used to be, let alone You only brought so many people with you." "Sir Donnel, we have indeed learned a painful lesson," Caitlin said.Sometimes she feels like she has a hard heart.Six brave men had sacrificed their lives to get her here, and she couldn't even shed a tear for them.Even their first and last names became more and more vague. "The natives harassed us day and night. We lost three the first time, and two later. The Lannister servant died of a fever with festering wounds. I thought we were doomed when I heard your men approaching. ’ They decided to put all their eggs in one basket, weapons in hand and their backs against the rock.The dwarf was sharpening his axe and making bitter jokes when Bronn first saw the banner that the comers held high, the crescent-and-falcon emblem of House Arryn on blue and white.For Kaitlyn, there is nothing more welcoming than this.

"After the death of Lord Jon, these aborigines have become more and more daring." Sir Donnel said.He was a well-built, ugly but honest-looking young man of twenty, with a broad nose and a mass of shaggy brown hair. "If I leave it to me, I will take a hundred elite soldiers into the mountains, drive them out of their dens, and give them a good lesson, but your sister won't allow it. She won't even allow her knights to participate in the prime minister's tourney. They said they wanted to keep all the troops here to guard the Vale of Arryn... but no one knew who they were guarding against. Some people said they were chasing rumors." He looked at her uneasily, as if suddenly remembering her identity. "Madam, I hope I have said the right thing. I did not mean to offend you."

"Sir Donnel, how could you offend me by telling the truth?" Caitlin knew what her sister was afraid of.Not shadows, but Lannisters, she thought, glancing back at the dwarf riding beside Bronn.They had been buddies since Chiggen died.The shrewdness and cunning of the little man made her quite displeased. When they first went up the mountain, he was her captive, tied up and had nowhere to ask for help. Look what he has become now?Although she was still her prisoner, she rode a horse with a dagger slanted in her waist, a big ax strapped to her saddle, a lynx fur cloak she won from a dice bet with the singer, and a cloak she took from Chiggen's corpse. chain mail.Twenty knights and soldiers flanked the dwarf and her battered ranks, loyal servants to her sister Lysa and the youngest son of Jon Arryn, but Tyrion showed no sign of fear.Is he really innocent?Could he really have nothing to do with Bran and Jon Arryn and the rest?If so, what happened to her?Six people lost their lives trying to bring him here.

She resolutely put aside her doubts. "When we get to your stronghold, I would be very grateful if you could invite Maester Komon to come here immediately. Ser Rodrik has a high fever due to his injury." More than once, she worried that the brave old knight would not be able to survive this trip journey.By the end he could barely ride, and Bronn urged her to leave him to his own devices, but Catelyn would not listen.Instead she made them tie him in the saddle and put Marillion the singer in charge. Sir Donnel hesitated for a moment before answering. "Lady Lysa ordered the maester to stay in the Eagle's Nest City so that he can take care of Young Lord Robert at any time." He said, "But there is a monk in our Bloodgate Stronghold who is in charge of treating the wounded. He can heal your men."

Caitlin has much more confidence in the bachelor's medical knowledge than the monk's prayers.She was about to speak out what was in her mind when the fortifications appeared ahead.The long battlements are built on the cliffs on both sides, and the mountain road is narrowed to barely allow four people to ride side by side. Two watchtowers climb on the rock wall and are connected by a weather-beaten graystone airtight arch bridge.Silent faces watched them from archery holes in towers, battlements and stone bridges.As we approached the top, a knight came to greet us on horseback.His mount and armor were gray but his cloak was the vibrant blue and red of Riverrun, and at his shoulders a blackfish gleamed in gold and obsidian. "Who is going through the bloody gate?" he shouted.

"Ser Donnel Waynwood, and Lady Catelyn and her companions," answered the young knight. The Knight of the Blood Gate lifted his mask. "I think the lady in front of me looks familiar. Little Kate, you are so far away from home." "Uncle, aren't you too?" Despite all the suffering, she still smiled from the bottom of her heart.Hearing that hoarse, smoky voice seemed to turn back twenty years in time and brought her back to her childhood. "My home is here," he said roughly. "Your home is in my heart," Caitlin told him. "Take off the helmet, I want to see you again."

"I'm afraid after all these years, it's still not easy to see where to go." Although Brynden Tully said so, when he lifted his helmet, Catelyn thought he was lying.His face was weather-beaten and age had stolen his auburn hair and left it gray, but he still had the same smile, the same bushy eyebrows as fat as caterpillars, the same smile in the deep blue eyes. "Does Lysa know you're coming?" "We didn't have enough notice," Caitlin told him.At this time, others followed. "Uncle, I'm afraid the storm will chase after me." "Can we go into the ravine?" asked Sir Donnel.The Waywoods have always been good manners.

"In the name of Robert Arryn, Lord of the Eyrie, Warden of the Vale, and true Warden of the East, I let you pass, and I ask you to keep the peace in his name." Ser Bryndon replied, "Go .” So she rode beside him, through the shadow of the Blood Gate.During the era of heroes, countless soldiers and horses died here, but they still could not conquer the canyon.On the other side of the stone fortifications, the peaks and ridges suddenly unfolded, and the green fields, blue sky and snow-capped mountain peaks suddenly appeared, and she was so beautiful that she couldn't breathe.At this moment, the Vale of Arryn was bathed in morning light.

The gorge stretched before them to the misty east. This is a peaceful and quiet country, sheltered by mountains on all sides, fertile black soil in the middle, wide and gentle rivers, and bright as a mirror in the sun. Hundreds of large and small lakes.The fields were full of barley and wheat and corn, and even Highgarden's pumpkins were no bigger and the fruit less sweet.They walked into the western end of the canyon, and after passing the last mountain pass, the road began to wind down until it reached the foot of the mountain, which was two miles high.The canyon here is so narrow that it doesn't take half a day to cross it, and the mountains to the north are so close that Catelyn seems to be within reach.The highest mountain here is called the "Giant's Gun", and the mountains are so high that they look up, and its peak is three and a half miles above the ground, disappearing in the icy mist. The ghostly torrent of Alyssa's Tears ran down its towering west ridge, and even at this distance Catelyn could make out the shining silver ribbon against the dark rock.

When my uncle saw her stop, he rode his horse and leaned over to show her. "It's right there, next to Alyssa's tears, if you look carefully enough, and the sunlight happens to hit the city wall, you can see a flash of white light." Seven towers, Ned had told her, like white daggers piercing the belly of the sky, rising up into the sky, standing on the battlements, and the clouds are under your feet. "How long is it going?" she asked. "We can get down the mountain this evening," said Uncle Brynden, "but it will take another day to go up." Ser Roderick Cassel said from behind, "Ma'am," he said, "I'm afraid I won't be able to go on today." His face was slumped, his new beard was ragged, and he looked very frail. , Caitlin was really worried that he would fall off his horse.

"You should never have gone," she said. "What I asked of you, you not only did, but far exceeded my expectations. My uncle will accompany me to the Eyrie, and the Lannisters must come with me." , but you and others have no reason not to stay here to rest and recover." "It was an honor to have them as our guests," said young Sir Donnel, trying to be serious and polite.Besides Ser Rodrik, the only ones who had gone with her from the Crossing Inn were Bronn, Ser Willy Ward, and Marillion the Singer. "Madam," Marillion rode forward, "please allow me to accompany you to the Eagle's Nest City. I have seen the beginning of the story, and I want to see how it ends." Although the boy's voice was haggard, it was surprisingly determined , with a eager light in his eyes. Kaitlyn hadn't invited the singer to travel with him in the first place, it was entirely on his own initiative.As for why many people braver than him abandoned their corpses in the wilderness, but he was alive and well, she didn't know.In short, he grew a little beard on the way, and he looked a little more manly. He has traveled so far, maybe she shouldn't reject him. "Okay," she told him. "I'll go too," Bronn said. She doesn't like him even more.She would never have reached the Vale had it not been for Bronn, she knew that.This mercenary was an extremely fierce warrior, and his sword cut a bloody path for them.Even so, Catelyn didn't like the man.He has courage and strength, but he has no kindness in his heart, let alone loyalty.She had often seen him riding with the Lannisters, talking in whispers and laughing at the same time.She originally planned to isolate him from the dwarf immediately, but since she promised to let Marillian go to the Eyrie City together, she really had no suitable reason to refuse him. "As you please," she said, only to realize that he hadn't asked her permission at all. Ser Willi Ward and Ser Rodrik stayed behind, their wounds tended by a soft-spoken septon.Their few emaciated horses were also left behind.Ser Donnel promised to send the birds to the Eyrie and the Gates of the Moon first of their arrival.Someone brought energetic, shaggy horses familiar with the mountain roads from the stables. They only rested for less than an hour and then went on the road again, heading for the valley plain below. Catelyn walked beside her uncle, Bronn, Tyrion Lannister, Marillion, and six of Brynden's men followed. It was not until they were a third of the way down the hill, and out of earshot of the others, that Brynden Tully turned to her and said, "Well, boy, tell me what the storm is about." "Uncle, I am no longer a child." Caitlin said.But she still told him everything, even though it took far longer than expected.She talked about Lysa's letter, Bran's fall, the assassin's dagger, Littlefinger, and her chance encounter with Tyrion Lannister at the Fork Road Inn. The uncle listened quietly, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper, and the thick eyebrows covered his eyes.Brynden Tully was a good listener...unless it was her father.He is the younger brother of Duke Hoster, although they are only five years apart, but since Caitlin can remember, the two have been at odds.When Caitlin was eight years old, the brothers had a big quarrel. The Duke of Hoster accused Brynden of being "the black sheep of the Tully family", but Brynden laughed and said that the symbol of their family is a trout jumping out of the water, So he should be a black fish, not a black sheep.From that day on, he took it as his coat of arms. Until the day she and Lysa got married, the dispute between the two did not end.It was at the wedding feast that Brynden announced to his brother that he and Lysa were leaving Riverrun to serve her new husband, the Duke of the Eyrie.According to Edmure's occasional letters to her, Duke Hoster never mentioned his brother's name after that. Even so, in Caitlin's girlhood, whenever her father was too busy and her mother was too seriously ill, it was Uncle Brynden who the Duke of Hoster's children shared their joys and sorrows with.Whether Catelyn, Lysa, or Edmure... oh, yes, even Petyr Baelish, his father's adopted son...he listened patiently, laughed at their success, and told them Sympathy for the trouble caused by childishness, just like this moment. After she finished speaking, the uncle was silent for a long time, and his mount carefully descended the steep rocky path. "Your father must know about this," he said at last. "If the Lannisters do send troops, Winterfell is far away, and there are mountains in the Vale of Arryn, but Riverrun is just in the way they must pass." "That's what worries me," Catelyn admitted. "When we get to the Eyrie, I'll ask Maester Kormund to send a bird with a message." She had other messages to send, and Ned told her to inform the princes. , ordered them to prepare to defend the north. "How is the situation in the Vale of Arryn?" "Everyone is outraged," said Brynden Tully. "Lord Jon is much loved, and now the king has handed over to Jaime Lannister a position that has been held by House Arryn for nearly three hundred years. We all feel deeply insulted. Lysa ordered us to call her son the real Warden of the East, but this can't deceive anyone. As for the cause of the Prime Minister's death, your sister is not alone. Of course, no one dared to publicly claim that Jon was killed by Murder, but this is a lingering shadow." He glanced at Caitlin and pursed his lips. "And about the kid." "The kid? How's he?" There was a low-hanging rock in front of her, and she lowered her head, and they made a sharp turn. Uncle's tone was worried. "Lord Robert," he sighed, "was only six years old, sick all the time, and weeping when his dolls were taken from him. He was Jon Arryn's own son, by the gods of heaven, but someone Legend has it that he was too weak to inherit his father's throne. Lord Jon has served in King's Landing for the past fourteen years, and Lord Steward Nestor Royce has been in charge here, and many people think that he should act, Until the child grows up. Others think Lysa deserves to remarry, and as soon as possible. The Eyrie is as crowded with suitors now as crows on a battlefield." "I should have seen that," Catelyn said.This news is not surprising, Lysa is still young, and the Valley Kingdom is the heaviest dowry. "Will Lysa marry again?" "She agreed, as long as she found the right man," said Brynden Tully, "but she rejected Lord Nestor and a dozen other suitors. She swore to the outside world that she would choose her husband this time. " "It's fine for others, at least you shouldn't blame her." Ser Brynden snorted. "I don't blame her, but... In my opinion, Lysa is just putting on a show. Although she enjoys the love game of being pursued, I believe that your sister intends to rule in person until her son grows up and becomes a veritable Eagle's Nest. Duke of the City." "Women can rule as wisely as men," Caitlin said. "Only the right woman." Uncle glanced at her from the side. "Kate, make no mistake, Lysa is not you." He hesitated for a moment. "If I really want to say it, I'm afraid you will find that your sister can help... not as much as you imagined." She was confused. "What do you mean?" "The Lysa who came back from King's Landing is not the same person as she was when she went south with her husband who was appointed Prime Minister. She has suffered a lot in these years, you must know. Although Lord Ayrin is a loyal and good husband , but their marriage was built on politics rather than emotion." "Isn't mine too?" "Your marriage has the same starting point, but your circumstances are much better than hers. She had two children who never survived, experienced four miscarriages, and Lord Ayrin's death... Caitlin, the gods only Gave Lysa a child, and she lives for him now. Poor child. No wonder she would rather run away than see her son handed over to the Lannisters. Child, your sister is very scared now, and what she fears most is That is Lannister. She stole out of the Red Keep like a burglar, and ran back to the Vale, all to save her son from the lion... and now you brought the lion into her house. " "I captured him," Catelyn said.There was a crack in the rock to her right, like a bottomless dark mouth, yawning open.She tightened the reins and walked cautiously around. "Really?" Uncle glanced back at Tyrion Lannister, who was slowly descending the hill behind him. "I saw him with an ax on his saddle, a dagger on his waist, and a mercenary following him behind him. My dear, where did you say 'capture'?" Caitlin moved uneasily. "Anyway, the dwarf is here, and he didn't want to. No matter what you say, he's my prisoner. Lysa couldn't be more eager to make him confess. The Lannisters murdered no one but her." Husband, she was the one who wrote to warn us." "Blackfish" Brynden smiled wearily at her. "Son, I hope you're right." He sighed, but the undertones were quite disapproving. The slope beneath the horses' hooves began to slow, and the sun was in the west.The road widened and became straight, and for the first time Catelyn noticed wildflowers and grass beside it.When they reached the valley plain, the speed was faster, and they wasted no time in hastening on, through verdant woods and quiet little villages, past orchards and fields of golden wheat, and splashing across sunlit streams.Her uncle sent a standard-bearer ahead of them, with two banners flying from his staff, the moon-and-falcon of House Arryn on high, and below it his own black fish.Farm carriages, businessmen's wagons, and riders from minor noble families moved aside to let them pass. Even so, it was dark when they reached the fortified castle at the foot of the Giant's Lance Mountain.Torches burn on the battlements, and the crescent moon dances on the dark waters of the moat.The drawbridge was raised and the iron gates were lowered, but Catelyn could see the firelight in the gatehouse, and the light streamed from the windows at the back of the gatehouse. "This is the Gate of the Moon," said the uncle as the procession approached the castle.His standard-bearer rode to the moat to greet those in the tower. "Lord Nestor's residence. He should be waiting for us. Look at it again." Caitlin lifted her head, and kept raising, and raising, and raising.At first she saw only rocks and trees, mountains covered in night, as black as a starless night.Then, she noticed the ethereal firework high above. It was originally a castle tower, embedded on a steep cliff, and its lights looked down on the ground like orange eyes.Above that, there was a taller and farther tower, and one more, almost a sparkling spark in the night sky.At last, at the height of the eagle's flight, there was a white light that shone in the moonlight.She looked up at the hazy pale tower high in the sky, and suddenly felt dizzy. "The Eyrie," she heard Marillion murmur, visibly shocked. Tyrion Lannister's sharp voice broke in: "It seems that the Arryns are quite lonely and don't like company. If you plan to ask us to climb up in the dark, you might as well kill me here. " "We'll stay here tonight and head up the mountain tomorrow," Brynden told him. "Oh, I can't wait," returned the dwarf. "How do I get up? I'm no good at riding goats." "We ride mules," Brynden smiled. "Stone steps have been hewn into the hill," Catelyn said.Ned had told her about his childhood there with Robert Baratheon and Jon Arryn. Uncle nodded. "It's too dark to see now, but there are stone steps to walk on. The steps are too steep and narrow for horses, and mules can barely make it. There are three forts along the road: Dangerous Rock, Snow Mountain, and Long Sky. , mules can go as far as Longtian Castle." Tyrion Lannister glanced up suspiciously. "Then what do we do next?" Brynden smiled and said: "After that, the mountain road is too dangerous, even mules can't go up. So next we will walk up the mountain, or do you want to take a basket? The Eagle's Nest is on the top of the mountain directly above Longsky Castle. Its cellar There are six large capstans on chains to pull supplies. If you like, Lord Lannister, I can send you up with bread and beer and apples." The dwarf gave a dry laugh. "It's a pity I'm not a pumpkin," he said. "Well, my father would be very upset if he knew his son was dragged to the guillotine like a turnip. If you're going to hike up the hill, I'm afraid I'll have to. We Lannisters The family members still have some self-esteem." "Pride?" Catelyn snapped.His mocking tone and overly contemptuous manner annoyed her greatly. "I think it's pride. Proud and arrogant, greedy, obsessed with power and position." "My old brother is very haughty indeed," replied Tyrion Lannister, "and my father is nothing but greed incarnate, and my good sister is as obsessed with power as breathing. Only I, But it's an innocent lamb. How about it, would you like me to bleat twice for you?" He grinned. Before she could answer, the drawbridge rattled down, and they heard oiled chains slide and the gates raised.Soldiers came out with torches to light them, and my uncle led the way across the moat.Lord Nestor Royce, High Steward of the Vale and Keeper of the Gates of the Moon, was meeting them in the yard, surrounded by his knights. "Lady Stark," he bowed.He was a huge, thick-chested man with a certain clumsiness in his movements. Catelyn dismounted and stood before him. "Lord Nestor," she said.She had heard his name for a long time. He was Bronze Jon's cousin, born in a collateral branch of the Royce family, but he was still a well-known figure in his own right. "We have traveled a long way and are exhausted. If it is convenient for you, I would like to stay here tonight." "Ma'am, please don't be too polite." Baron Nestor said roughly, "but your sister Lady Lysa just got word from the Eagle's Nest City that she hopes to see you right away. Those who come with you will be staying here tonight. , Send them up the mountain early tomorrow morning." Uncle got off his horse. "This is crazy!" he said abruptly.Brynden Tully had never been one to polish the edges of his words. "It's not a full moon today, and you want them to go up the mountain overnight? Even Lysa knows it's courting death." "Sir Brynden, mules know the way." A slender and strong girl of seventeen or eighteen came forward from Baron Nestor.She had black hair cropped short, and wore riding leather and a light silver-plated ringmail.She bowed to Catelyn more gracefully than her master. "Madame, I assure you that nothing will happen. It is my honor to take you up the mountain. I have walked this road hundreds of times in the dark, and Michelle said my father must be a goat." Caitlin couldn't help smiling at her confident tone. "Son, do you have a name?" "If madam is happy, just call me Mia Shidong." The girl said. She was not happy to hear that.Caitlin had a hard time keeping a smile on her face.Stone East is the surname of the illegitimate child of Vale Arryn, just like Snow in the north and Buddha Flower in Highgarden.According to custom, each of the Seven Kingdoms has its own surname for fatherless children.Catelyn had no ill feeling towards the girl herself, but the sudden thought of Ned's bastard son who was stationed on the Wall filled her with shame and anger.She struggled for words to respond. Lord Nestor filled the silence. "Mia is a clever child. She swore to bring you safely to Lady Lysa. I trust her. She has never disappointed me." "In that case, Mia Stone, I hand myself over to you." Caitlin said, "Lord Nestor, please keep my prisoner under strict supervision." "Please also bring this prisoner a glass of wine and a crispy roast chicken, so that he won't starve to death." Lannister said, "It would be better to have a girl after dinner, I'm afraid I'm asking too much .” The mercenary Bronn laughed. Lord Nestor ignored his taunt. "Madam, I will follow your orders, and everything will be obeyed." Then he looked at the dwarf. "Send Lord Lannister to the prison on the tower, and help him buy wine and meat." After Tyrion Lannister was led away, Catelyn said goodbye to her uncle and the others, and followed the bastard daughter through the castle.Two mules were waiting in the upper courtyard of the castle, ready to go.Mia helped her to ride, and a guard in a sky blue cloak opened the narrow back door.Outside the door is dense spruce and pine wood, and the mountain wall looks like a black wall, but there are really deep stone steps carved out of the rock, going straight up to the sky. "Some people feel more at ease with their eyes closed," Mia led the mule through the back door and into the forest. "When they get scared or dizzy, they often hold the mule too tight, but the mule doesn't like that." "My name is Tully, and I married a Stark," Catelyn said. "It's not easy to scare me. Are you going to light a torch?" The stone steps were black as pitch. The girl made a face. "You can't see the fire. The weather is so good tonight, the moon and the stars are enough. Michelle said I have eyes for owls." She also rode up, urging the mule to step up to the first step.Caitlin's mount followed by itself. "You also mentioned Michelle just now." Caitlin said.The mule's pace was slow but steady, and she was very satisfied. "Michel is my love," Mia explained. "Michel Redford, he is Sir Lynn Corbray's squire. We will be married in a few years when he becomes a knight. " Her voice was like Sansa's, so cheerful and beautiful, so carefree and full of dreams, that Catelyn could not help smiling, but there was sadness in her smile.She knew that the Redford family was a long-established family in the canyon region, with the blood of the ancestors in their bodies.She might be his love, but a Redford would never marry a bastard.His family would arrange a suitable marriage for him, perhaps the Corbrays, or the Waywoods or the Royces, or even one of the great families outside the Vale of Arryn.Even if Michelle Redford slept with this girl, it didn't mean anything. The ascent was easier than Kaitlyn had expected.The forest was very close to them, stretching out to cover the mountain path, and put up a rustling green roof, which even blocked the moonlight, so that they seemed to be walking in a dark passage.But the mule walked steadily and without fatigue, and Mia Shidong did seem to have night vision ability.The mountain road was winding and rugged, and the two walked slowly along the road and crossed the mountain wall.A thick blanket of pine needles covered the ground, and the mules made only the faintest sound on the stone steps.The stillness soothed her, and the slight rocking made Catelyn sway in the saddle, and it wasn't long before she began to resist the temptation to doze off. Perhaps she dozed off for a while, for suddenly the great iron-paneled city gate loomed before them. "The Rock Castle is here." Mia happily jumped off the mule and announced.The solid stone walls are topped with iron nails, and two chubby towers surround the main keep.The gate of the city opened slowly under Mia's call. The knight in charge of the fort was a stout guy. He called out Mia's name affectionately, and took out a slightly scorched but hot Serve them with grilled meat and roasted onions.Catelyn had forgotten how hungry she was, and ate standing in the yard while the grooms swapped their saddles for the backs of new, more robust mules.Warm gravy ran down her chin and dripped onto her cloak, but she was too hungry to care. Then they mounted their new mules and set off again under the starlight.Caitlin felt that the mountain road was more difficult this time. Not only was the path steeper, the stone steps were badly worn, and the ground was also scattered with small boulders and rock fragments.Several times Mia had to dismount from her mule to clear rockfall from the road. "It would be dangerous if the mule broke his leg here," she said.Kaitlyn only had to agree.At this moment, she could already feel the altitude. The trees here were thinning, and the wind was getting stronger, pulling at her clothes and blowing her hair into her eyes.The mountain road twisted and twisted, so she could see the Rock Keep below, and the Gates of the Moon still below, where fires lit like candles. Snow Mountain was much smaller than Dangerous Rock, consisting of a fortified tower, a timber main keep, and stables hidden behind low stone walls.The walls were poorly built and not plastered.Even so, it was close enough to the Giant's Lance to hold all the steps above the Crag.If an enemy wants to move the Eagle's Nest City, he has to fight up from the Dangerous Rock Castle step by step, and at the same time he has to bear the rain of flying arrows and falling rocks from the Snow Mountain Castle.The commander here is a pockmarked, restless young knight.He offered them bread and cheese, and invited them to warm by his fire, but Mia declined. "Ma'am, we should keep going," she said, "if you like." Caitlin nodded. They got new mules again.The one given to her was white, and Mia smiled when she saw it: "Ma'am, Xiaobai is a good mule. Even if it walks on ice, its footsteps are steady, but you must be careful, if he doesn't like you , but will kick people." Gods bless, White seems to like Caitlyn, at least it doesn't kick.There was no ice on the road, which she was also grateful for. "My mother said that hundreds of years ago, this was the wind and snow line." Mia told her, "From here it is white, and the ice and snow never melt." She shrugged, "It is still far from the top of the mountain. I don't remember seeing snow here, but maybe it was like that in olden days." She was so young, Catelyn thought, trying to remember if she had ever been so innocent.The girl lived most of her life in summer, and she knew nothing else.Child, winter is coming, she wants to tell her.When the words came to her lips, she was almost about to leave her mouth. Perhaps she had gradually become a member of the Stark family after all. Above Snow, the wind was a living thing, howling around them like a wolf in the waste, then falling off to nothing as if to lure them into complacency.From here, the stars seem to be brighter, as if they are close at hand and within reach.A crescent moon hangs in the clear night sky, looking huge and incomparable.Caitlin just felt that it was better to look up than down when going up the mountain.After hundreds of years of freezing, thawing, and trampling by countless mules' hooves, the stone steps were badly damaged, and even though they couldn't see clearly in the dark, she was still worried.When they came to a platform between two sharp rocks, Mia climbed off the mule. "We'd better lead our mules over here," she said. "Mistress, mind you, the wind is a little strong here." Caitlin crawled out of the shadows with stiff hands and feet, and looked at the mountain road in front of her: it was about twenty feet long and three feet wide, but there were deep abysses on both sides of the road.She could hear the howling of the cold wind.Mia stepped out lightly, and the mule followed steadily, as if crossing the castle courtyard.Then it was her turn.Caitlyn had barely taken the first step when fear gripped her tightly.She felt voids of nothingness on either side, felt the black whirlwind yawning around her.She stopped, trembling and afraid to move forward.The wind howled at her, tugging at her cloak, trying to drag her off the cliff.Catelyn took a small cowering step back, but the mule blocked her and she had no way.I'm going to die here, she thought.She felt cold sweat dripping down her vest. "Lady Stark," Mya called from the opposite side.The girl's voice sounded as if it was thousands of miles away. "Are you all right?" Catelyn Tully Stark swallowed what was left of her pride. "Son, I... I can't do it." "No problem," said the bastard girl, "I know you can. Just look how wide the road is." "I don't want to see." The world seemed to spin around her, mountains and sky and mules all tangled together.Caitlin closed her eyes, trying to catch her rapid breathing. "I'll come right now," Mia said, "Ma'am, just stand there and don't move." The last thing Caitlyn would do right now was to move.She listened to the howling of the wind and the friction of leather on the stone, and then Mia came and took her hand gently. "If you're afraid, just close your eyes. You can let go of the rope, and Xiaobai will walk by himself. Very good, madam. I'll take you there, you see, it's not a big deal. Take a step and try it, that's it, move you Just slide forward, look, it’s very simple, right? One more step, take your time, the road is so wide, you can run. One more step, one more. That’s right.” The illegitimate girl took it step by step. Closing her eyes and trembling, Caitlin walked across the precipice, the white mule following slowly. Skyhold was nothing more than a crescent, a towering wall of rough stone piled along the mountain's side, but Catelyn Stark thought that even the towering Valyrian Skybelt was not so beautiful .The snow line begins here, and the walls of Changtian Castle that have experienced vicissitudes of life are covered with frost everywhere, and the slopes above it are covered with long icicles. Mia Shidong greeted the guards, and the city gate opened in front of them. At this time, the east was already dawning.Behind the city wall is a series of ramps, and rocks of various sizes are crumbling. This is undoubtedly the most landslide-prone place in the world.A passage opened in the rock face in front of them. “马厩和军营都在里面。”米亚说，“最后一段路是在山内，有点黑，但也免了风雪。骡子只能到此为止，从这儿开始，嗯，直直地爬上去，那路比较像石头做的云梯，而非正式的台阶，但还不算太难走。大概再有一个小时就到了。” 凯特琳抬头仰望，在头顶正上方，破晓的晨光之中，她可以看见鹰巢城的基石，离她们大概不超过六百尺。从下看去，如同小小的白色蜂窝。她忆起叔叔提起的篮子和绞盘。“兰尼斯特家的人或许自负傲慢，”她告诉米亚：“但徒利家的人懂得变通之道。我已经骑了一整天马，又走了大半夜。请他们放下篮子，我跟萝卜一起上山。” 凯特琳·史塔克终于抵达鹰巢城时，太阳已经高高升起。一位满头银发、身材健壮、穿着天蓝色披风、新月猎鹰胸甲的人扶她出了吊篮。他是琼恩·艾林的侍卫队长瓦狄斯·伊根爵士，站在他身边的则是体格瘦弱、神色不安、头发太少、脖子却太长的柯蒙学士。“史塔克夫人，”瓦狄斯爵士道，“您真是教我们又惊又喜。”柯蒙学士颔首同意。“可不是嘛，夫人，可不是嘛。我已经带话给您妹妹，她吩咐您一到就叫醒她。” “我希望她昨晚睡得香甜。”凯特琳的话中带了一丝嘲讽，但似乎没人注意。 他们护送她从绞盘室走上螺旋梯。以王国中贵族的标准而言，鹰巢城规模不大，只是七座白色尖塔像筒里的箭一样挤成一团，坐落在山巅上。它虽无马厩、铁铺或犬舍，但奈德曾说这里的粮仓和临冬城的一般大，而塔楼足以容纳五百人。然而当凯特琳行经其中，却发现城堡异常荒凉，白石打造的厅堂里回声四起，空无一人。 莱莎独自在书房里等她，身上披着睡袍。她一头红褐色长发未经整理，垂过裸露的肩膀，覆在背后。一个侍女站在她身后，正帮她梳理因睡眠而打结的发丝。凯特琳刚进门，妹妹立刻笑盈盈地起身。“凯特，”她说，“噢，凯特，见到你真好。我亲爱的好姐姐。”她跑过房间，紧紧地搂住姐姐。“我们好久没见面了，”莱莎抱着她喃喃说，“噢，真的好久好久。” 事实上，两人有五年没见。对莱莎而言，那是残酷的五年，岁月在她身上留下了痕迹。妹妹小她两岁，但现在看起来年纪却比她大。莱莎原本就比凯特琳矮，如今她胖了，脸也显得苍白臃肿。她有着徒利家族的蓝眼睛，却是那么黯淡而湿润，目光游移不定，小嘴唇也没了生气。凯特琳抱着她，想起当年在奔流城的圣堂婚礼时站在自己身边，那个身躯纤细、抬头挺胸的女孩。如今妹妹的美貌只剩下那头蓬松柔软、流泻至腰的红棕色长发。 “你看起来气色很好，”凯特琳撒了谎。“只是……有点累。” 妹妹松开她。“是有点累，是啊，真的有点累。”这时她似乎注意到在场的其他人：侍女、柯蒙学士和瓦狄斯爵士。“你们下去罢，”她告诉他们，“我想跟我姐姐单独谈谈。”她挽起凯特琳，看着他们离开…… ……门一关上，便立刻摔开她的手。凯特琳见她脸色一变，仿佛乌云遮蔽了太阳。“你到底想干什么？”莱莎斥责她，“竟然未经许可，连声招呼都不打，就把他带来这里，把我们扯进你跟兰尼斯特的争端……” “我的争端？”凯特琳简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。壁炉里火光熊熊，但莱莎的声音却没有丝毫温暖。“小妹，打一开始这就是你的事。你写了那封该死的信给我，说兰尼斯特家的人害死了你丈夫。” “我写信的目的是警告你，叫你离他们远一点！不是叫你跟他们硬碰硬！诸神在上，凯特，你知道这样做会有什么后果？” “妈？”一个细小的声音说。莱莎旋身，厚重的长袍也跟着转圈。鹰巢城公爵劳勃·艾林站在门边，抱着一个破烂的布偶，睁大双眼看着她们。这孩子瘦得可怜，个子比同年龄的孩子都要小，一张病恹恹的脸，还不时颤抖。她知道，学士管这种病叫癫痫。“我听见说话的声音了。” 这也难怪，凯特琳心想，因为莱莎刚才几乎就是在吼。妹妹看她的眼神依旧锐利如刀。“小宝贝，这是你凯特琳阿姨。她是我姐姐，史塔克夫人，你还记得吗？” 小男孩一脸茫然地看着她。“好像记得。”他眨着眼说。凯特琳上次见他时，他还未满周岁。 莱莎在火炉边坐下。“小亲亲，到妈咪这儿来。”她整整他的睡衣，拨拨他的头发。“你看他漂不漂亮？其实他也很强壮，你别听信外边的传言。琼恩很清楚，他亲口对我说'种性强韧'，这是他的临终遗言。他一直念叨着劳勃的名字，用力抓我的手，直到留下血痕。他是要我告诉他们，种性强韧，这是他的种，他要大家都知道我的小宝贝长大之后会变成个强壮的男子汉。” “莱莎，”凯特琳道，“如果关于兰尼斯特家的情况属实，那我们应该赶紧采取行动。我们——” “不要在我宝贝面前谈这些。”莱莎说，“他的脾气很纤细，对不对啊，小亲亲？” “这孩子是鹰巢城公爵，也是艾林谷的守护者。”凯特琳提醒她，“现在不是曲意温柔的时候。奈德认为依目前情势很可能会演变至战争。” “闭嘴！”莱莎怒叱。“你吓到孩子了。”小劳勃从她肩头偷偷望了凯特琳一眼，然后发起抖来。他的玩偶掉到地毯上，他则紧紧抱住母亲。“我亲爱的小宝贝，别怕喔。”莱莎轻声说，“妈咪在这里，不会有事的。”她掀开睡袍，拉出一只苍白但涨鼓鼓、奶头红润的乳房。男孩渴切地抓住它，把头埋在她胸口，吸吮了起来。莱莎抚弄着他的头发。 凯特琳说不出话来。这竟然是琼恩·艾林的儿子，她难以置信地想。她想起了自己的小儿子，瑞肯才三岁，年纪只有这男孩的一半，却精力旺盛，足以当他好几倍有余。难怪艾林谷的诸侯们焦虑不安。她终于了解到国王为何要把这孩子从母亲身边带开，交给兰尼斯特家抚养…… “在这里，我们不会有事。”莱莎说。至于这话究竟是对她说，还是对那孩子说，凯特琳无法确定。 “别傻了，”凯特琳道，怒意陡然从心中升起。“现在哪里都不安全。你以为躲在这里，兰尼斯特家就会忘记你的存在吗？你真是大错特错！” 莱莎伸手捂住男孩的耳朵。“就算他们带兵杀进崇山峻岭，穿过血门，也不可能攻破鹰巢城。你自己也看到了，没有人能攻到这里。” 凯特琳有种想甩她耳光的冲动。布林登叔叔试图警告她，她这才明白原因何在。“世上没有攻不破的城堡。” “这座城堡就攻不破。”莱莎坚持，“而且每个人都知道。现在惟一的问题是，我该怎么处置你带来的这个小恶魔？” “他是坏人吗？”鹰巢城主松开口中红润潮湿的乳头问。 “他是个非常非常坏的人。”莱莎告诉他，一边穿好衣服。“但是妈咪不会让他欺负我的小亲亲。” “让他飞。”劳勃急切地说。 莱莎搓搓儿子的头发。“这主意不错，”她喃喃道，“这主意的确不错。”