Catelyn found her husband beneath the weirwood, seated on a moss-covered stone. The great sword Ice was across his lap, and he was cleaning the blade in those waters black as night. A thousand years of humus lay thick upon the godswood floor, swallowing the sound of her feet, but the red eyes of the weirwood seemed to follow her as she came. “Ned,” she called softly.
He lifted his head to look at her. “Catelyn,” he said. His voice was distant and formal. “Where are the children?”
He would always ask her that. “In the kitchen, arguing about names for the wolf pups.” She spread her cloak on the forest floor and sat beside the pool, her back to the weirwood. She could feel the eyes watching her, but she did her best to ignore them. “Arya is already in love, and Sansa is charmed and gracious, but Rickon is not quite sure.”
“Is he afraid?” Ned asked.
“A little,” she admitted. “He is only three.”
Ned frowned. “He must learn to face his fears. He will not be three forever. And winter is coming.”
“Yes,” Catelyn agreed. The words gave her a chill, as they always did. The Stark words. Every noble house had its words. Family mottoes, touchstones, prayers of sorts, they boasted of honor and glory, promised loyalty and truth, swore faith and courage. All but the Starks. Winter is coming, said the Stark words. Not for the first time, she reflected on what a strange people these northerners were.
Humus 腐殖質
凱特琳在魚梁木下找到了她的丈夫，他正靜坐在苔蘚爬蓋的磐石上。寶劍"寒冰"斜躺於膝，而他正用那漆黑如永夜的池水清洗劍上的血汙。千年累積的腐植質厚厚地覆蓋在神木林的土地上，吸走了她的足音，但魚梁木那雙紅眼卻彷彿緊跟不捨。"奈德。"她輕聲喚道。
他抬起頭看著她。"凱特琳，"他的語調莊重而遙遠。"孩子們呢？"
他總是會先問這句。"都在廚房裡，為了要幫小狼們取些什麼名字正吵架呢。"她把披風鋪在林地上，然後在池邊坐下，背靠魚梁木。她感覺得到那雙眼睛正盯著自己看，但她竭盡所能去忽略它。"艾莉亞已經愛得發狂，珊莎也很喜歡，瑞肯則還不太確定。"
"他害怕嗎？"奈德問。
"有一點，"她承認，"畢竟他才三歲。"。
奈德皺眉："他得學著面對自己的恐懼，他不可能永遠都是三歲，更何況凜冬將至。"
"是啊，"凱特琳也同意，最後那句話一如既往地教她不寒而慄。這是史塔克家族的銘言，每一個貴族家族都有著自己的箴言警句：或是世代相傳的座右銘，或是待人處事的衡量標準，或是針對困境的禱詞；有的誇耀榮譽，有些講究忠貞誠信，還有的為信仰和勇氣宣誓，唯獨史塔克家族例外。凜冬將至，史塔克家族的銘言如是說。她已經不只一次在心裡暗忖：這些北方人究竟是什麼樣的一群怪人。
閱讀更多 讀書看劇記單詞 的文章
