另一場戰爭（三）——譯文搬運

羽筆酒樽翻譯作品，僅限書友交流之用。

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翻譯：

雷加·皮卡丘·坦格利安

校對：

狗妹、芒果

簡介：

羽筆酒樽，取自原著中舊鎮的一間酒店名，學城的學徒常光臨此店。冰與火之歌粉絲組織，致力於冰與火及其衍生作品的翻譯。主要翻譯作品有《遊俠王子》、《公主與王后》、《彌林結》、《凜冬的寒風》試讀章節等。新浪微博@舊鎮羽筆酒樽。

《另一場戰爭》是Adam Feldman繼《解讀彌林結》之後，撰寫的冰與火系列評論文章，作者的觀點曾得到馬胖的讚許。此係列主要基於瓊恩主線深入解讀，Adam曾發表過丹妮、瓊恩、提利昂、多恩等主線的解讀文章。

羽筆酒樽已獲得原作者授權，

將陸續為讀者引入翻譯，小組成員本著求同存異的心態讀這些文章，亦可能會在文末加入自己的一些觀點。

作者官博：

https：//

meereeneseblot。wordpress。com

/

“道德三皇五帝，功名夏後商周。

五霸七雄鬧春秋，頃刻興亡過手。

青史幾行名姓，北茫無數荒丘，

前人撒種後人收，說甚龍爭虎鬥！”

話說上回書各位看官已經讀到小酒館為您翻譯的《另一場戰爭》第二部分，今天為您奉上的是本酒館肺活量最好最具青春活力的美少女萌皮卡翻譯的此係列第三部分，感謝各位多多捧場～您得著～

另一場戰爭

三、曼斯的任務

瓊恩是有一個有著高尚心靈和英雄主義精神的小哥。任何一個真正的英雄都會

不顧一切

的去保護處於險境的無辜者。而所有的故事也都是這樣講述的，騎士會冒著生命危險去打敗怪獸，解救少女於危難。

如今瓊恩擁有了權力，責任也隨之而來。作為當權者，如果仍舊逞英雄，後果則會是災難性的。現實裡，久賭必輸。當權者必須對更多的生命負責。而瓊恩的職責是保衛整個維斯特洛大陸甚至全人類，他們的安危聽憑其取捨。

《魔龍的狂舞》中，關於瓊恩的大量篇幅都在講述他試圖打敗野人，同時擔負起修繕長城抵禦異鬼的責任。他在這兩方面也的確很有遠見。然而穿插其中，馬丁不停地偷偷將瓊恩推向唯有不顧守夜人安危以及更重要的使命，才能拯救無辜者的道德困境。一次又一次，瓊恩不得不在兩難之中痛苦選擇——是否應該不顧風險用自己的權力去幫助無辜者。在本系列的第一部分中我曾寫過，在早期，引誘瓊恩偏離守夜人職責的主要是他的私心，而如今，瓊恩則是被他的英雄本能和“高尚的心靈”所誘惑。

在卡斯特的堡壘，熊老曾告訴瓊恩，“世界如此遼闊，到處都有求助的人”，但“守夜人軍團還有另一場戰爭要打”。現如今，在《魔龍的狂舞》中，果然有許多人需要瓊恩的幫助——最初是一個嬰兒，接著是他的妹妹，其後是一個少女，最終是一大群在艱難屯的野人。瓊恩的故事線大都圍繞著他的選擇：是否要用自己的權力去幫助他們？以及選擇的結果對守夜人和更重要的使命會有怎樣的影響。

岌岌可危的嬰兒

在瓊恩的第一章，因為害怕史坦尼斯會燒死曼斯的孩子，他決定出手阻止。我們可以看出他這麼做純粹是出於義憤：

伊蒙學士卻另有憂慮。“國王之血確有力量，”學士警告道，“為這個，比史坦尼斯優秀得多的人幹出過更不堪的事情。”瓊恩認為他身邊的這位國王嚴苛而不知變通，但謀害還在母親懷中哺乳的小嬰兒？只有魔鬼才會活生生地把孩子丟進火焰。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章3，瓊恩I）

“拒絕合作，那男孩就會被燒死。也許不是明天，不是後天……但等不了多久，等梅麗珊卓想要喚醒魔龍、改變風向，或是其他需要國王之血的法術時，那時曼斯早已被燒成了灰，她火堆上的犧牲品只能是他兒子。史坦尼斯不會拒絕她的要求。你不帶這孩子走，她一定會燒死他。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章7，瓊恩II）

之後瓊恩用了一個獨出心裁、實用卻有些殘忍的方法將吉莉和曼斯的孩子調了包，他威脅吉莉，欺騙史坦尼斯，把一個嬰兒從母親的懷裡奪走。但無論他的方法如何，瓊恩的

目的

純粹是道德上的，對守夜人或者更重要的使命毫無益處。這一切都是為了讓一個嬰兒不被燒死。而這實際上把守夜人和更重要的使命——至少是瓊恩自己的生命置於某種風險。他想到：

“她要是知道，早把孩子帶走了——我是指妲娜的孩子，不是你的怪物。國王只消聽到一點風聲，這事就完了。”我也完了。史坦尼斯會把這當成叛國。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章39，瓊恩VIII）

總之，這讓我回想起《冰雨的風暴》中瓊恩曾拒絕殺死一個老人，儘管他知道即使自己不動手老人也要死，甚至瓊恩自己也會死，野人對於黑城堡的突襲也已經註定。如今，瓊恩再一次試圖保護一個無辜者，即使這麼做有可能威脅到更重要的使命。這次，事情似乎順利多了，最壞的情況並沒有發生。

但並非瓊恩每次賭局都會有好運。

陷於險境的妹妹 — 對瓊恩的考驗

在史坦尼斯率軍向南出發後，長城有一段平靜的時光。在這期間，瓊恩修繕長城備戰異鬼、爭取贏得野人的支援，一邊等待史坦尼斯的訊息。而這份平靜數次被馬胖打破，他將落入險境的無辜者擺在瓊恩面前，試探瓊恩是否會幫助他們。而下一個被馬胖帶來的無辜之人是艾莉亞。

他覺得心跳停了幾拍。不，這不可能。她死在君臨，和父親一起。“雪諾大人？”克萊達斯用那雙暗粉色眼睛迷惑地看著他，“您……不舒服嗎？您看起來……”“他兒子將迎娶艾利亞·史塔克。我的小妹。”瓊恩開口時，覺得小妹就在眼前。長長的馬臉懵懵懂懂，還有那坑窪的膝蓋和尖尖的胳膊肘。小妹的臉總是那麼髒，頭髮總是那麼亂。他們肯定會為她梳洗整齊，但他無法想象艾利亞穿結婚禮服的樣子，更別說上拉姆斯·波頓的床。無論多害怕，她都不會表現出來。拉姆斯想染指小妹的話，她會奮起反抗。“您妹妹。”埃恩·伊梅特說，“有多大……”她才十一歲，瓊恩想，還是個孩子。“我沒有妹妹，只有兄弟。只有你們。” 這話凱特琳夫人大概會喜歡，但說出口太不容易。他的手指攥緊了羊皮紙。真希望能這樣捏碎拉姆斯·波頓的喉嚨。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

《權力的遊戲》中，瓊恩就曾陷入“誓言vs家庭”的兩難境地，他曾輕言要離開長城去幫助奈德，也曾真的試圖離開守夜人，加入羅柏，一起為父報仇。他本能的想去幫助妹妹，無疑是對卷一自己行為的彌補或補償。這種兩難也是伊蒙學士曾經面對過的：

“天上諸神為我的誓言設立過三次考驗。一次在我年幼，一次我正值壯年，最後一次則在我步入老年之後。那時我已年老體衰， 視力漸弱，然而面臨的抉擇如同第一次那般殘酷。渡鴉從南方帶來我家族滅亡的訊息。黑色的翅膀，黑暗的訊息。我的親人死亡、名聲掃地、景況淒涼。但我這個身體虛弱的瞎眼老人能做些什麼呢？我像是襁褓中嗷嗷待哺的嬰兒一般無助，可一旦想到自己坐在這裡，臵身事外，聽任他們殺害我弟弟可憐的孫子，他的曾孫，還有那些無辜的孩兒……”

《權力的遊戲》（章60，瓊恩VIII）

在《冰雨的風暴》結尾，瓊恩拒絕了史坦尼斯給予的臨冬城公爵的任命，大部分書迷認為他已經不再被“誓言vs家庭”困擾。但是瓊恩所拒絕的臨冬城不過是一個廢墟，開出條件的是史坦尼斯這個在北方並無立足之地（其實其他地方也沒有）的叛軍首領，並且臨冬城內已經沒有瓊恩可以去救的親人。現在，有預言宣稱艾莉亞不僅活著還可能險象環伺，關於“誓言vs家庭”的問題再次浮現。他一邊迫切的想幫助她，一邊努力說服自己不能去：

瓊恩覺得自己像個六十老翁那樣渾身痠痛。噩夢成為現實，他想著，我有愧於心。他不斷想起艾利亞。我沒法幫她。我宣誓時就拋棄了所有親人。如果我的手下向我報告自己妹妹有危險，我會明確告訴他，這不關他的事。發下誓言，血就是黑的。如同私生子的心。他曾託密肯為艾利亞打了一把劍，那是刺客的劍，小巧玲瓏，正合她的手。縫衣針。他不知她是否還留著它。用尖的那端去刺敵人，他曾教導她。但如果她刺那私生子，一定會喪命。“雪諾，”熊老的烏鴉又開始嘀咕，“雪諾，雪諾。”他突然覺得一刻也無法忍受了。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

通常我不喜歡過分解讀烏鴉所說的話。但這次，我不禁要思考瓊恩是否被烏鴉提醒了他姓雪諾而不是史塔克。然後瓊恩離開烏鴉，和白靈在外遊蕩，在那裡他遇到了一個將給他截然不同的意見的人。此處展現了一個不可思議的場景，充滿了象徵和寓意。

他大步走過校場，迎向寒風的利齒，斗篷在身後撲哧哧地翻飛。白靈跟在後頭。我要去哪兒？我在做什麼？黑城堡默然佇立，大廳和塔樓黑漆漆的。我的城堡，瓊恩·雪諾邊看邊想，我的大廳，我的家園，我的責任。我的廢墟。

在長城的陰影中，冰原狼蹭了蹭他的手指。半晌間，黑夜似乎帶著上千種氣息活過來，瓊恩也聽到陳雪的碎裂聲。他突然意識到身後有人，散發出夏日溫暖。他轉頭見到耶哥蕊特。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

耶格蕊特象徵了瓊恩過去曾因秉持守夜人的誓言而

失去

的東西。她也曾誘惑瓊恩去打破那誓言。當魔法消失，原本耶格蕊特站著的地方變成了梅麗珊卓，一名新的施誘者。（考慮到她之前引用的“你一無所知，瓊恩·雪諾。”似乎對於瓊恩和耶格蕊特的關係，她從火焰中已有所知。）。梅姨毫不遲疑的將新的誘惑擺在瓊恩面前。

“別絕望，雪諾大人，絕望乃是凡人不可道也的大敵的利器。你的妹妹並未離你而去。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

瓊恩想拒絕她，但無法說出口：

“我沒有妹妹。”這話猶如尖。你知道我在想什麼，女祭司？你知道我妹妹怎樣了？ 梅麗珊卓似乎被逗樂了。“這位你沒有的小妹，她叫什麼名字？”“艾莉亞。”他聲音沙啞，“是我同父異母的妹妹，因……”。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

之後梅麗珊卓告訴瓊恩，她在幻象中看到艾莉亞逃離了婚禮並前來尋找瓊恩。梅麗珊卓對白靈施了個法術來展現她的力量。隨後，她的話使得馬胖描寫這幅場景的用意變得清晰起來：

“你守衛的長城是個詭異的地方，但如果善加利用，這裡有力量。力量還存於你體內，和這頭野畜體內。你抗拒它，這不對。你應接納它、擁有它。”。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，梅麗珊卓，瓊恩VI）

瓊恩一直努力剋制自己。由於守夜人的責任所在，他不能做他真正想做的事情，也不能去幫助艾莉亞。但梅麗珊卓展示了一個截然不同的景象——我可以給你想要的東西，而你有力量去得到你想要的，運用好你的力量！

“世間眾生，行於地面皆有影，影之長短有別，厚薄各異。不妨回頭，雪諾大人大入。月色沐浴汝身，在冰面印下二十尺高的陰影。”

瓊恩回首望去。正如她所言，月光將他的影子印在長城之上。垂死的馬馱著灰衣女孩，他想到，向此處來，投奔你。艾莉亞。他轉身面對女祭司，他能感覺到她的熱度。她有力量。這念頭油然而生，死死攫住了他。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

接下來瓊恩表述了一個截然不同的觀點，充斥著不祥的預兆。

但他不想欠紅袍女人情，即便為自己的小妹。“妲拉對我說過一些事。她是瓦邇的姐姐，曼斯·雷德的妻子。她說巫術是無柄之劍，沒法安全掌握。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

表面上，這是在談論魔法，但潛臺詞大體是在說瓊恩對自己力量的使用。利用這份力量去得到你想要的，用它去改造世界以得償所願，這一切是多麼誘人。但這樣做的後果可能是災難性的，特別是對於坐在瓊恩這個位置上的人，而且這將會得到印證。這一幕的結尾，梅麗珊卓預言當三個遊騎兵返回的時候，瓊恩將會發現他們失去了雙眼和生命。她說只要瓊恩相信她，就可以避免這件事的發生。讓我們收起這極其耐人尋味的一段，再一次總結瓊恩所面臨的考驗：

等你看到死人空洞的眼眶和破損的臉，記得這些話。彼時再來找我，牽我的手。”霧氣從她白皙的身體上蒸騰而起，一瞬間，她指尖似有黯淡妖異的火焰。“牽我的手，”她重複一遍，“讓我救你的小妹。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章28，瓊恩VI）

曼斯的任務 — 瓊恩的決定

之後馬胖在接下來的章節做出了一個反常的決定：在梅麗珊卓的章節而不是瓊恩的章節裡，揭露了曼斯倖存的事實，從梅麗珊卓的角度向瓊恩提議派曼斯南下去救艾莉亞。馬丁的寫作手法很靈活。先前的場景顯然是一個誘惑，並且瓊恩立即

發覺

這是一個誘惑，但梅麗珊卓

本人

並不這麼認為：

“他不是你。他發過誓就打算終生遵守。守夜人是不偏不倚的，但你不是守夜人。他不能做的，你能做。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章31，梅麗珊卓I）

馬丁這個決定是非常有必要的，因為讀者從《列王的紛爭》後就不再相信梅麗珊卓了。尤其是我們都是從洋蔥的章節裡瞭解的她，因此我們比瓊恩更不相信梅麗珊卓。我們可以想象，如果沒有這個章節的話，讀者們一定大吼：“她一定是有圖謀的，不要相信她，你個大白痴！”馬胖似乎覺得改變我們對梅麗珊卓看法的最好辦法，就是把她善意的內心世界展露在我們面前，這確實有些出人意料。於是我們發現：梅麗珊卓覺得洋蔥很酷，她真心相信史坦尼斯就是亞索爾·亞亥，她對自己的信仰堅貞不二，並且真的想阻止異神，她非常誠懇的去嘗試預見未來並且描述出來，儘管她有時候無法正確解讀。

這使我們對她的提議的真正含義感到困惑，尤其是因為梅麗珊卓自己覺得她的想法與瓊恩的誓言並不相悖。但梅麗珊卓正是“為達目的不擇手段”的化身，而她的盟友曼斯，則是打破守夜人誓言的化身。她對於堅守守夜人誓言上的定義也比伊蒙的寬鬆許多。而梅麗珊卓的章節是以她的話語結束，這次沒看到瓊恩有做任何反駁：

我說光之王會聆聽你的祈禱，而你想要拯救小妹，同時保住於你至關重要的榮譽，無損你對木頭神許下的誓言。”她伸出一根白皙的手指，“於是他來了，雪諾大人，他是艾莉亞的救星。他是光之王……和我的禮物。”

《魔龍的狂舞》（章31，梅麗珊卓I）

馬丁略過了瓊恩的回覆，在瓊恩接下來的章節裡他正在處理守夜人軍團的一些事務，組織新兵宣誓，接納更多的野人（和巨人旺旺）入駐長城，收到史坦尼斯的來信。直到章節的最後馬胖才揭露瓊恩接受了梅麗珊卓的提議，並且向我們暗示了在這件事上瓊恩的內心掙扎：

垂死的馬馱著灰衣女孩，逃離了別人強加的婚禮。這些話的魔力，讓他把曼斯·雷德和六名矛婦釋放進北境。“要年輕漂亮的。”曼斯說。這位未焚之王說了幾個名字，憂鬱的艾迪便去鼴鼠村把她們悄悄帶來。他當時一定瘋了，他應該在曼斯顯露身份時將其處決。儘管不願承認，瓊恩確實有些欣賞塞外之王，這個背誓者和變色龍；他更不信任梅麗珊卓，現在卻將全部希望寄託在他們身上。都是為了我的小妹。哪怕守夜人的漢子沒有妹妹。

小時候在臨冬城，瓊恩的英雄是少龍主，那位十四歲便征服多恩領的小國王。 儘管瓊恩·雪諾是個私生子——抑或正因他是個私生子——他仍然夢想像戴倫王那樣，領導人們為榮譽而戰，成為征服者。現在他長大成人，長城是他的了，但他擁有的只有疑慮。他甚至無法征服內心的疑惑。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章35，瓊恩VII）

等下…這裡剛剛發生了什麼？

瓊恩的決定被一筆帶過，未及詳述，後果也還未顯現。而這是整本書最重要的轉折點之一。

對於瓊恩自己，他選擇了家庭而不是守夜人和他的誓言。這與他“生命是屬於守夜人的”和他“沒有妹妹”的想法背道而馳。這是一個出於高尚願望的決定，是為了要幫助他所愛的人逃避悲慘的命運。這也是一個在梅麗珊卓操控下的決定，使他利用自己的力量去得到他想要的，而不是為了承擔守夜人的職責去約束自己。

最重要的是，瓊恩的決定使得守夜人和更重要的使命被置於極大的

危險

中。波頓家族靠著艾莉亞佔據了臨冬城。瓊恩試圖“拯救”她的事如果暴露，無疑會被視為破壞波頓統治的一種戰爭行為，毫無疑問會引起波頓家族對守夜人的反擊。而這一結果也說明了為何守夜人的誓言如此的重要，遵守誓言不僅僅是因為“榮譽”，還是因為家庭的羈絆和對國家政治事務的干涉會

使守夜人陷入險境

。

實際上，瓊恩為了自己想要幫助妹妹而拿人類的命運與守夜人的前途用來作賭注…。顯然他賭輸了：

你們宣稱燒死了塞外之王，卻悄悄派他來臨冬城偷走我的新娘。我要我的新娘。

《魔龍的狂舞》（章39，瓊恩VIII）

私生子之信的出現實際上破壞了瓊恩在長城的計劃，並結束了對抗異鬼作戰的準備。而且無論信是否真實或者寫信人是誰，都是瓊恩決定支援曼斯任務的後果。

如果拉姆斯是寫信人，那麼這封信顯然就是瓊恩的所作所為引發的後果。在一些關於波頓家族的章節裡，沒有任何證據顯示波頓父子直接對瓊恩有什麼不滿，或者曾經密謀加害瓊恩。事實上，他們幾乎都沒有想到過瓊恩。曼斯的任務使守夜人陷入困境，徹底的暴露了守夜人並非中立的立場，也給了波頓家族一個完美的證據來證明瓊恩已經向他們宣戰。塞外之王的任務很有可能以曼斯暴露、瓊恩捲入紛爭、波頓報復守夜人這一系列的場景作為終結。

即使拉姆斯不是寫信人，如果瓊恩不曾派曼斯南下去偷走拉姆斯的新娘，這封信壓根兒就不會存在。這些恐嚇是對這次行動的迴應，而這也是馬胖描述的最詳細，最惡毒的部分。這封信也

揭示

了瓊恩為了個人私慾，運用極其陰暗的方式包括魔法（曼斯的存活）與野人王密謀幹涉國家政務。而這一切都顯然使瓊恩和守夜人都岌岌可危。總的來說，這封信在瓊恩最需要團結一致對抗異鬼的時刻帶來了分裂與混亂。

這封信的用意，在於迫使瓊恩直視他給守夜人事業帶來的風險。他無法再去嘗試同時進行兩件事，準備對抗異鬼的同時暗中干預國家政務，並期望都會有最好的結果。這封信仍需瓊恩的回覆，而這個回覆我會在之後進行探討。

在《冰雨的風暴》裡，瓊恩寧願搏上一切也不去殺一位老人家。在《魔龍的狂舞》最開始，瓊恩又搏上一切去救一個嬰兒。現在他又為了拯救他的妹妹而再次搏上一切。之前的兩次他都賭贏了。但這次，他輸了。

附：英文原文

Other Wars Part III The Mance Mission

Jon has a noble heart and a hero’s mentality。 And any true hero will be willing to

take great risks

to protect an innocent person in danger。 When a maiden is in danger， the knight risks his life， defeats the monster， and saves her。 That’s how it works in all the stories。

But now Jon has power， and with that comes responsibility。 For a ruler， the hero’s instinct to take great risks to help the individual can be disastrous。 In real life， if you take enough risks， you’ll eventually stop getting lucky。 And rulers have the responsibility for a great many lives。 Jon has the responsibility to protect a whole

continent

， or all of humanity， depending on your preference。

Jon spends much of his ADWD screentime attempting to win over the wildlings， and responsibly preparing the Wall to face the Others。 His leadership on both of these fronts is downright visionary。 But， interspersed with all this， Martin sneakily and repeatedly presents Jon with

moral dilemmas involving individual innocents in danger

， who cannot be helped without some risk to the Watch and the larger struggle。 Again and again， Jon must choose whether he will use his power to help these innocents， despite that risk。 I wrote in Part I that Jon’s earlier temptations to stray from his Watch duties mainly involved his ignoble desires。 Now， Jon is being tempted by his heroic instincts — his “noble heart。”

Mormont told Jon at Craster’s Keep that “the wide world is full of people wanting help，” but “the Night’s Watch has other wars to fight。” Now， in ADWD， many people need Jon’s help — first an infant， then his sister， then a teenage girl， and finally a large group of wildling civilians at Hardhome。 Much of Jon’s arc revolves around his choices about whether to use his power to help them， and what his choices might mean for the Watch and the larger struggle。

An Infant in Danger

In his very first chapters， Jon fears Stannis will burn Mance’s baby， and decides to act to prevent this。 We see in Jon’s thoughts that he is motivated purely by moral outrage：

Aemon had demurred。 “There is power in a king’s blood，” the old maester had warned， “and better men than Stannis have done worse things than this。”

The king can be harsh and unforgiving， aye， but a babe still on the breast？ Only a monster would give a living child to the flames

。 （JON I）

“Refuse， and the boy will burn。 Not on the morrow， nor the day after … but soon， whenever Melisandre needs to wake a dragon or raise a wind or work some other spell requiring king’s blood。 Mance will be ash and bone by then， so she will claim his son for the fire， and Stannis will not deny her。 If you do not take the boy away，

she will burn him

。” （JON II）

Jon then uses extremely inventive， pragmatic， and somewhat cruel methods to swap Mance’s baby with Gilly’s — threatening Gilly， deceiving Stannis， separating a mother from her child。 But regardless of his methods， Jon’s

goal

is a purely moral one， with no benefit whatsoever to the Watch or its larger struggle。 It is all to prevent one baby from being burned。 It actually places the Watch and the larger struggle at some risk — or at least Jon’s own life， he thinks：

“If she knew， she would have taken the boy away from us。 Dalla’s boy， not your monster。 A word in the king’s ear would have been the end of it。”

And of me。 Stannis would have taken it for treason

。 （JON VIII）

Overall， it recalls the moment when Jon refused to kill the old man in ASOS， even though it almost certainly meant the death of the old man， Jon himself， and a surprise wildling attack on Castle Black。 Here again， Jon tries to protect one innocent， even though his actions mean a risk to the larger struggle。 In this case， things seem to go smoothly， and the worst possibilities Jon risked do not come to pass。

But not all of Jon’s gambles will work out so well。

A Sister in Danger – The Temptation

After Stannis marches south， there is a period of quiet at the Wall， where Jon works on practical matters to prepare the Wall for the Others， tries to win over the wildlings， and waits for news from Stannis。 This quiet is broken， several times， when Martin dangles innocents in danger in front of Jon， and asks whether Jon will help them。 The next innocent to be dangled in such a way is Arya。

His heart seemed to stop for a moment。

No， that is not possible。 She died in King’s Landing， with Father

。

“Lord Snow？” Clydas peered at him closely with his dim pink eyes。 “Are you … unwell？ You seem …”

“He’s to marry Arya Stark。 My little sister。” Jon could almost see her in that moment， long-faced and gawky， all knobby knees and sharp elbows， with her dirty face and tangled hair。 They would wash the one and comb the other， he did not doubt， but he could not imagine Arya in a wedding gown， nor Ramsay Bolton’s bed。

No matter how afraid she is, she will not show it. If he tries to lay a hand on her, she’ll fight him.

“Your sister，” Iron Emmett said， “how old is …”

By now she’d be eleven

， Jon thought。

Still a child

。 “

I have no sister. Only brothers. Only you

。” Lady Catelyn would have rejoiced to hear those words， he knew。 That did not make them easier to say。 His fingers closed around the parchment。

Would that they could crush Ramsay Bolton’s throat as easily

。 （JON VI）

Jon’s instinctual desire to help his sister is， of course， a reprisal of the “vows vs。 family” dilemma he faced in Book 1， when he toyed with leaving the Watch to help Ned， and then actually tried to leave the Watch to avenge Ned and help Robb。 The dilemma was framed by Aemon here：

“Three times the gods saw fit to test my vows。 Once when I was a boy， once in the fullness of my manhood， and once when I had grown old。 By then my strength was fled， my eyes grown dim， yet that last choice was as cruel as the first。 My ravens would bring the news from the south， words darker than their wings， the ruin of my House， the death of my kin， disgrace and desolation。 What could I have done， old， blind， frail？ I was helpless as a suckling babe， yet still it grieved me to sit forgotten

as they cut down my brother’s poor grandson, and his son, and even the little children

。 。 。 ” （AGOT JON VIII）

At the end of ASOS， Jon turned down Stannis’ offer of Winterfell， and most fans thought he was done with “vows vs。 family” dilemmas。 But the Winterfell Jon rejected was a burnt-out shell， offered by a rebel claimant with no foothold in the North （or much of anywhere）， and there were no more family members left for Jon to try and save。 Now， with the revelation that Arya is not only alive but seemingly in dire circumstances， the issue has been reopened。 He desperately wants to help her， but tries to convince himself that he cannot：

Jon felt as stiff as a man of sixty years。

Dark dreams

， he thought，

and guilt

。

His thoughts kept returning to Arya. There is no way I can help her. I put all kin aside when I said my words. If one of my men told me his sister was in peril, I would tell him that was no concern of his.

Once a man had said the words his blood was black。 Black as a bastard’s heart。 He’d had Mikken make a sword for Arya once， a bravo’s blade， made small to fit her hand。 Needle。 He wondered if she still had it。 Stick them with the pointy end， he’d told her， but if she tried to stick the Bastard， it could mean her life。

“

Snow

，” muttered Lord Mormont’s raven。 “

Snow， snow

。”

Suddenly he could not suffer it a moment longer。 （JON VI）

I usually don’t like to read too much into the raven’s words… but in this case， I have to wonder whether Jon is being reminded that he’s a Snow and not a Stark。 Jon instead leaves the raven， and walks outside with Ghost， where he finds someone who will give the opposite advice。 What unfolds is an amazingly spooky scene， filled with symbolic and thematic meaning：

He stalked across the yard， into the teeth of that wind。 His cloak flapped loudly from his shoulders。 Ghost came after。

Where am I going？ What am I doing？

Castle Black was still and silent， its halls and towers dark。

My seat

， Jon Snow reflected。

My hall， my home， my command。 A ruin

。

In the shadow of the Wall， the direwolf brushed up against his fingers。 For half a heartbeat the night came alive with a thousand smells， and Jon Snow heard the crackle of the crust breaking on a patch of old snow。 Someone was behind him， he realized suddenly。 Someone who smelled warm as a summer day。

When he turned he saw Ygritte。 （JON VI）

Ygritte is a symbol of what Jon has

lost

by sticking to his Night’s Watch vows in the past。 She also tempted Jon to oathbreak。 And once the glamor vanishes， standing there in place of Ygritte is Jon’s new chief temptress， Melisandre。 （Given her earlier quotation of “You know nothing， Jon Snow，” she seems to have seen something of Jon and Ygritte’s relationship in the flames。） Melisandre wastes little time， and suggests the temptation almost immediately：

“Do not despair， Lord Snow。 Despair is a weapon of the enemy， whose name may not be spoken。 Your sister is not lost to you。” （JON VI）

Jon tries to reject it， but can barely even speak the words：

“I have no sister.” The words were knives

。

What do you know of my heart， priestess？ What do you know of my sister？

Melisandre seemed amused。 “What is her name， this little sister that you do not have？”

“Arya。” His voice was hoarse。 “My half-sister， truly …” （JON VI）

Melisandre then tells Jon by saying she has seen a vision showing Arya fleeing from her marriage， and coming to Jon。 She pulls a trick with Ghost to demonstrate her apparent power。 After this， she articulates Martin’s theme for the scene：

“Your Wall is a queer place， but

there is power here, if you will use it. Power in you, and in this beast. You resist it, and that is your mistake. Embrace it. Use it

。” （Melisandre， JON VI）

Jon has been telling himself that he should tie his hands。 That he should not do what he truly wants， and help Arya， because of his obligations to the Watch。 Melisandre offers a different vision。 I can give you what you want。 You have the power to get it。 Use it！

“Every man who walks the earth casts a shadow on the world。 Some are thin and weak， others long and dark。 You should look behind you， Lord Snow。 The moon has kissed you and etched your shadow upon the ice twenty feet tall。”

Jon glanced over his shoulder。 The shadow was there， just as she had said， etched in moonlight against the Wall。

A girl in grey on a dying horse

， he thought。

Coming here， to you。 Arya

。 He turned back to the red priestess。 Jon could feel her warmth。

She has power

。 The thought came unbidden， seizing him with iron teeth… （JON VI）

What follows is the theme’s counterpoint， laden with ominous foreshadowing：

…but this was not a woman he cared to be indebted to， not even for his little sister。 “Dalla told me something once。 Val’s sister， Mance Rayder’s wife。

She said that sorcery was a sword without a hilt. There is no safe way to grasp it

。” （JON VI）

On the surface， this is about sorcery， but the subtext is about Jon’s use of his power in general。 It can be tempting， to use it to get what you want， to transform and reshape the world to fit your desires。 But such actions can also be disastrous， particularly for someone in Jon’s position， and they will prove to be in this case。 Melisandre closes the scene by predicting that three of Jon’s rangers will soon come back dead and eyeless。 She says that if only Jon listened to her， he could have averted this。 and we end with this beautifully evocative passage， summing up the temptation once more：

“Remember that when you behold the blind and ravaged faces of your dead。 And come that day， take my hand。”

The mist rose from her pale flesh, and for a moment it seemed as if pale, sorcerous flames were playing about her fingers. “Take my hand,” she said again, “and let me save your sister.”

（JON VI）

The Mance Mission – Jon’s Decision

Martin then makes the curious decision to present the following chapter， in which Melisandre reveals Mance Rayder’s survival and suggests Jon send him south to save his sister， from Melisandre’s point of view rather than Jon’s。 This is a bit of narrative sleight of hand。 The prior scene was so obviously framed as a temptation， and Jon quite obviously

felt

it was a temptation… but Melisandre

herself

doesn’t think it’s a temptation at all：

“He is not you。 He made his vows and means to live by them。 The Night’s Watch takes no part。 But you are not Night’s Watch。 You can do what he cannot。” （MELISANDRE I）

This decision was arguably necessary because we readers have been distrusting Melisandre since Book 2 — we’re even more predisposed to distrust her than Jon is， particularly because we’ve seen her almost entirely from Davos’ POV。 One can imagine， in the absence of this chapter， readers yelling， “She’s up to something！ Don’t trust her， you idiot！” Martin seems to have felt that the best way to counterbalance that， was to expose us to Melisandre’s surprisingly well-intentioned inner thoughts。 We find out that she thinks Davos is pretty cool， she truly thinks Stannis is Azor Ahai， she is a true believer in her faith and really wants to stop the Great Other， and that she is really honestly trying to see the future and describe it， despite sometimes misreading it。

This lulls us into a bit of a false sense of security about what her proposal truly means， especially because Melisandre herself thinks her idea is totally consistent with Jon’s vows。 But Melisandre is the very embodiment of “the end justifies the means，” and her ally in this， Mance， is the very embodiment of Night’s Watch oathbreaking！ The priestess’s definition of staying true to the Night’s Watch vows is quite a bit less strict than Aemon’s was， and the chapter ends with her version， absent any rebuttal：

“I told you that the Lord of Light would hear your prayers。

You wanted a way to save your little sister and still hold fast to the honor that means so much to you, to the vows you swore before your wooden god

。” She pointed with a pale finger。 “There he stands， Lord Snow。 Arya’s deliverance。 A gift from the Lord of Light … and me。” （MELISANDRE I）

Martin skips past Jon’s response， and his next chapter shows him dealing with practical Watch issues， swearing in new trainees， wooing more wildlings （and the giant Wun Wun） to come to the Wall， and receiving news from Stannis。 Only in the chapter’s final paragraphs does Martin reveal Jon’s acceptance of Mel’s offer， and give us a hint of his internal conflict on the matter：

A

grey girl on a dying horse， fleeing from her marriage。

On the strength of those words he had loosed Mance Rayder and six spearwives on the north

。 “Young ones， and pretty，” Mance had said。 The unburnt king supplied some names， and Dolorous Edd had done the rest， smuggling them from Mole’s Town。

It seemed like madness now.

He might have done better to strike down Mance the moment he revealed himself。 Jon had a certain grudging admiration for the late King-Beyond-the-Wall， but the man was an oathbreaker and a turncloak。 He had even less trust in Melisandre。

Yet somehow here he was, pinning his hopes on them. All to save my sister. But the men of the Night’s Watch have no sisters.

When Jon had been a boy at Winterfell， his hero had been the Young Dragon， the boy king who had conquered Dorne at the age of fourteen。 Despite his bastard birth， or perhaps because of it， Jon Snow had dreamed of leading men to glory just as King Daeron had， of growing up to be a conqueror。 Now he was a man grown and the Wall was his， yet

all he had were doubts. He could not even seem to conquer those.

（JON VII）

Wait a Minute… What Just Happened There?

Jon’s decision here is presented elliptically， barely even dwelled on， and its consequences are postponed， but it’s one of the book’s most crucial turning points。

For Jon himself， it is a choice of family over the Watch and his vows。 It’s a rejection of the idea that his “blood is black” and that he “has no sister。” It’s a decision made because of his very noble desire to help an individual he loves escape a terrible fate。 And it’s a decision， in Melisandre’s framing， to use his power to try to achieve what he wants， rather than accepting that his responsibilities to the Watch tie his hands。

Most importantly， Jon’s decision places the Watch and the larger struggle at immense

risk

。 The Bolton claim to Winterfell depends on Arya。 Jon’s attempt to “rescue” her， if exposed， is absolutely certain to be perceived as an act of war meant to undermine their regime， and guaranteed to result in retaliation against the Watch。 The outcome here shows why the Night’s Watch vows are so important — not merely because sticking to one’s vows is “honorable，” but because family entanglements and interference in the affairs of the realm

place the Watch in danger

。

In effect， Jon has gambled the fate of humanity and the future of the Watch on his desire to help his sister…。 gambled， and apparently lost：

You told the world you burned the King-Beyond- the-Wall。 Instead you sent him to Winterfell to steal my bride from me。 I will have my bride back… I want my bride back。

（JON XIII）

The Pink Letter’s appearance effectively ruins Jon’s project at the Wall and ends his preparation for war against the Others。 And regardless of the Letter’s accuracy or authorship， it is a consequence of Jon’s decision to agree to the Mance mission。

If Ramsay is the author， the Letter is a particularly obvious consequence of Jon’s actions。 In our several chapters where we get a look at the Boltons， there is no evidence of any Bolton anger directed at Jon， or any Bolton plots against Jon — indeed， there’s little indication he’s even on their radar。 The Mance mission risked placing a big fat target on the Watch， utterly debunking any Watch claims of neutrality， and giving the Boltons actually quite a good case that Jon had committed an act of war against them。 A scenario involving Mance’s exposure， Jon’s implication， and Bolton retaliation against the Watch was always one completely obvious potential way the Mance mission could end。

Even if Ramsay is not the author， the Letter could not have existed in anything like that form without Jon’s decision to send Mance south to steal Ramsay’s bride。 The threats are framed as a response to this action， and it is what the author dwells on the most， with the most venom。 The Letter also has the effect of

exposing

Jon’s meddling in the affairs of the realm， purely for personal reasons， in an extremely shady-looking way involving sorcery （Mance’s survival） and plots with the wildling king， all of which clearly undermines Jon’s position with his own men。 Overall， the Letter introduces division and chaos at the very time Jon most needs to unite the Wall to prepare to face the Others。

The effect of the Letter is to force Jon to reckon with the risks he has taken with the larger struggle。 He can no longer try to have things both ways， preparing for the Others while secretly intervening in the realm， and hoping for the best。 The Letter also demands a response from Jon， which I will explore in a later installment。

In ASOS， Jon risked everything rather than kill an old man。 At the beginning of ADWD， he risked everything to save a baby。 Now， he risked everything to save his sister。 The first two gambles worked out。 This one didn’t。