[傳說] 第二章 - 傳送塔的低語
發表於 : 2006年 11月 12日, 17:41
Chapter II - The Whispers of the Spires
第二章 - 傳送塔的低語
The old elf held his great-granddaughter's hand as they strolled through the forest. She tugged insistently to try and make him walk faster, but he kept a measured pace.
老精靈牽著他長孫女的手一同在森林裡漫步。她嘗試著要把他向前拉好讓他們能夠走快點，
不過老精靈仍邁開穩定的步伐走著。
"I want to go to the spires. Gappa Ayenden!" she cried out excitedly.
「Ayenden 爺爺! 我想要去傳送塔!」她興奮的大喊著。
He nodded. "We'll go near them, Enka'la. But it's getting late, and the spires are not always safe."
老者點了頭。「Enka'la 我們會逛到那附近的。不過現在有點晚了，且傳送塔一直以來都不是很安全。」
He smiled slightly. "Not for many years, child. Not for many years."
他輕輕的微笑著。「許多年不是很安全了，孩子。許多年了。」
Enka'la looked around the Faydark with bright eyes, squealing with delight whenever she caught sight of a wisp or a drake. Ayenden marveled that even their home in Kelethin was surrounded by magic and wonder she could still find something new and amazing every time they walked together in the forest.
Enka'la 眨著明亮的雙眼看向菲達克森林四周，每當看到一個幽光或是一隻亞龍便欣喜的發出尖叫。Ayenden 對此感到驚訝，即便他們所居住的凱拉辛是受到魔法以及奇幻所圍繞，她往往還是能在森林裡散步時發現新奇的事物。
They chatted for a while about school and what is was like for a Kaodal'Dal to grow up in a city inhabited largely by Fae. "It's not fair." She frowned, "The Fae kids can jump around and fall like feathers. Elves can't." He chuckled.
爺孫倆聊了學校，和以往克爾達(按:高等精靈)居住在一個比仙靈大上許多的城市裡是什麼樣的光景。「這不公平。」她蹙眉道，「仙靈小孩都能到處蹦跳且像羽毛一般落下，精靈們卻不行。」他輕聲地笑了。
The evening breeze began to blow through the thick trees. "We will go a little further," he told her. "but not too far. Just near the spires and back."
傍晚的微風在茂密的樹林間吹拂。「我們可以再往前走一些，」他告訴女孩。「但是不能太遠。只能到傳送塔附近就要回去了。」
"Gappa?" she asked.
「爺爺?」她問道。
"Yes?"
「嗯?」
"The Fae kids are talking about our city. The high elf city. How come we never walk there?"
「仙靈小孩都在談論我們的城市。高等精靈城。為什麼我們從未走到那附近呢?」
Ayenden's brow furrowed. "I haven't gone there in many, many years, child. Our people...they are not as they once were. We are much better off in Kelethin."
Ayenden 的眉頭皺了起來。「我很久沒有到過那邊了，很多年了，孩子。我們的人民...他們早已不是從前的模樣。我們還是住在凱拉辛比較好。」
"But why?" Her voice wan innocent and honest.
「但是為什麼?」她的聲音真誠且無邪。
"I'll explain when you're older, child."
「孩子，妳長大點後我會解釋給妳聽的。」
She frowned and kicked at the ground, then perked up a moment later. "Tell me again how I got my name, Gappa!"
她皺眉且踢著地面，一會兒後又恢復了精神。「再說一遍我的名子是怎麼來的，爺爺!」
He looked wistfully toward the great spires ahead the rose up through the trees. "You are named after an old friend of mine that I lost long ago. Your mother loved hear the stories of my friend Enkasha and the adventures we would have, so named after her."
他看起來憂鬱的從樹林間望向矗立的宏偉傳送塔
The little girl smiled. “She was a brave hero like you, Gappa?”
“Braver,” he answered. “Much braver.”
“Tell me more stories! More stories!” She blurted excitedly, bouncing as she walked.
“Alright, alright. Once upon a time my friend Enkasha and I..” he stopped abruptly.
Enka’la looked up at him. “Don’t stop, Gappa. We’re almost there!”
“The spires,” he said, his brow heavy again. “I sense something different about them. Not like they were long ago, but there is magic touching them once again.”
The spires stood just ahead. Near the base of one of the giant pedestals, Ayenden thought he saw a figure in a crimson robe. There was a brief flash of fire, then the figure was gone.
“What was that, Gappa?” Enka’la asked.
“Nothing,” he answered. “We must go now.”
He picked his great-granddaughter up off the ground and held her tight as he carried her back toward the city. The years melted away in his mind, his pace quickening.
She was quiet for a while. At last she spoke, “What does it mean, Gappa?”
“I don’t know, Child,” he answered, “I don’t know.
For the first time in a long while, he felt like a stranger in the forest. He hurried to the torches just ahead, thinking of old friends lost.
