《最後一戰》第57期:穿過馬廄的門(5)

Seven Kings and Queens stood before him, all with crowns on their heads and all in glittering clothes, but the Kings wore fine mail as well and had their swords drawn in their hands. Tirian bowed courteously and was about to speak when the youngest of the Queens laughed. He stared hard at her face, and then gasped with amazement, for he knew her. It was Jill: but not Jill as he had last seen her, with her face all dirt and tears and an old drill dress half slipping off one shoulder. Now she looked cool and fresh, as fresh as if she had just come from bathing. And at first he thought she looked older, but then didn't, and he could never make up his mind on that point. And then he saw that the youngest of the Kings was Eustace: but he also was changed as Jill was changed.

Tirian suddenly felt awkward about coming among these people with the blood and dust and sweat of a battle still on him. Next moment he realized that he was not in that state at all. He was fresh and cool and clean, and dressed in such clothes as he would have worn for a great feast at Cair Paravel. (But in Narnia your good clothes were never your uncomfortable ones. They knew how to make things that felt beautiful as well as looking beautiful in Narnia: and there was no such thing as starch or flannel or elastic to be found from one end of the country to the other.

"Sire," said Jill coming forward and making a beautiful curtsey, "let me make you known to Peter the High King over all Kings in Narnia."

Tirian had no need to ask which was the High King, for he remembered his face (though here it was far nobler) from his dream. He stepped forward, sank on one knee and kissed Peter's hand.

"High King," he said. "You are welcome to me."

And the High King raised him and kissed him on both cheeks as a High King should. Then he led him to the eldest of the Queens - but even she was not old, and there were no grey hairs on her head and no wrinkles on her cheek - and said, "Sir, this is that Lady Polly who came into Narnia on the First Day, when Aslan made the trees grow and the Beasts talk." He brought him next to a man whose golden beard flowed over his breast and whose face was full of wisdom. "And this," he said, "is the Lord Digory who was with her on that day. And this is my brother, King Edmund: and this my sister, the Queen Lucy."

"Sir," said Tirian, when he had greeted all these. "If I have read the chronicle aright, there should be another. Has not your Majesty two sisters? Where is Queen Susan?"

"My sister Susan," answered Peter shortly and gravely, "is no longer a friend of Narnia."

"Yes," said Eustace, "and whenever you've tried to get her to come and talk about Narnia or do anything about Narnia, she says, `What wonderful memories you have! Fancy your still thinking about all those funny games we used to play when we were children.'"

"Oh Susan!" said Jill. "She's interested in nothing nowadays except nylons and lipstick and invitations. She always was a jolly sight too keen on being grown-up."

"Grown-up, indeed," said the Lady Polly. "I wish she would grow up. She wasted all her school time wanting to be the age she is now, and she'll waste all the rest of her life trying to stay that age. Her whole idea is to race on to the silliest time of one's life as quick as she can and then stop there as long as she can."

"Well, don't let's talk about that now," said Peter. "Look! Here are lovely fruit-trees. Let us taste them."

And then, for the first time, Tirian looked about him and realized how very queer this adventure was.

七個國王和女王站在他的面前，都是頭上戴着王冠，身上穿着閃閃生光的衣服，不過國王們都穿着精美鎧甲，手裏拿着出鞘的劍。蒂蓮彬彬有禮地鞠躬，他正要說話時，最年輕的女王哈哈大笑。原來她就是吉爾，可不是他最後一次看到她時的吉爾：滿臉骯髒和淚水，穿一件舊的訓練服，一個肩膀上有一半兒滑下來了。現在她看上去清涼爽快氣色極好，那氣色就跟剛洗過澡一樣。起初他覺得她看上去年紀大了一點兒了，接着又覺得年紀不大，他在這個問題上拿不準。然後他又認出那最年輕的國王便是尤斯塔斯：但他也同吉爾一樣發生了變化。

蒂蓮突然覺得：身上還留着戰爭的血、汗和塵土來到這些國王與女王面前，真是尷尬，但轉瞬之間他就發覺自己壓根兒不是處在這種境況裏。他也是清潔涼爽、氣色極好，身上穿着他在凱爾帕拉維爾赴宴時穿的那種衣服。但，在納尼亞，好衣服絕不是你們那種口叫人不舒服的衣服。在納尼亞，他們懂得怎樣把衣服做得外觀美麗而又感覺舒適。從國內這一頭到那一頭，你找不到像漿衣服的澱粉、法蘭絨以及鬆緊帶之類的東西。

“陛下，”吉爾走上前來行了個美麗的屈膝禮，說道，“讓我引你覲見那位領導納尼亞各位國王的至尊王彼得吧。”

蒂蓮無需問誰是至尊王，因爲他記得他夢中所見的臉，儘管現在見到的臉更加雍容華貴。他走上一步，跪下一膝，吻彼得的手。“至尊王的手，”他說，“我歡迎你駕臨。”至尊王扶他起來，吻他的雙頰；按規矩，至尊王應該如此。然後至尊王引他覲見最老的女王——但，連她也年紀不大，她的頭上沒有白髮，她的面頰上沒有皺紋——他說：

“閣下，這位是波莉夫人，阿斯蘭使樹木生長、野獸說人話的第一天，她就到納尼亞來了。”

其次，至尊王引他去見一個男子漢，金色長鬚飄拂在胸前，臉上充滿智慧。“這位是我的弟弟，愛德蒙國王，這一位是我的妹妹，露茜女王。”

“閣下，”蒂蓮向這些人都行過禮後，說道，“如果我對我讀過的納尼亞年代紀記得不錯的話，應該還有一位。陛下不是有兩個妹妹嗎？蘇珊女王在哪兒呢？”

“我的妹妹蘇珊，”彼得短促而嚴肅地答道，“不再是納尼亞的朋友了。”

“是的，”尤斯塔斯說，“不論什麼時候，你試圖叫她來談談納尼亞或者爲納尼亞做點兒什麼事情，她總是說：‘你們的記憶何等神奇！真想不到你們競仍舊想着我們在兒童時期經常玩的那些個有趣的遊戲。”

“啊，蘇珊！”吉爾說，“如今她除了尼龍製品、脣膏和請帖外，對什麼都不感興趣。她總是對於長大成人的歡樂景象太敏感了。”

“長大成人，真是的，”波莉夫人說道，“我但願她會長大成人。她浪費了她所有的在學校裏讀書的光陰，一心要達到她現在的年齡，並且竭力要停止在現在的年齡而將會浪費她一生其餘的光陰。她的整個兒意圖是：盡其所能地趕快跑到人生最傻里傻氣的階段，而且盡其所能地長久停留在這個階段裏。”

“啊，咱們現在不去談它，”彼得說，“瞧啊！這兒有美麗可愛的果實。讓我們嚐嚐吧。”

於是，蒂蓮第一次環視四周，認識到這次冒險活動真是十分古怪。