本集演播：槑贰 

后期：青丘

英文对照文本在最底下，请往下拉到底。

第10章 公主的父王

好天气一连持续了好几周，小公主每天都能出去了。那座山上从来没有过这么长时间的好天气。唯一美中不足的是她的奶妈太紧张，尤其是太阳快下山的时候，就算是羊毛般的白云稍稍遮蔽了阳光在山坡上投下的影子都能吓得她拔腿就跑。有好几次他们回到家整整一个小时后，阳光还高高地照在马厩顶上的风向标上。要不是因为这些古怪的行为，艾琳现在早就把哥布林的事儿忘了。她却不会忘记科迪，她记着他只是因为他本身，事实上即使公主是因为忘不掉欠下的债，在债务还清之后她也依然会记得他。

在一个阳光灿烂的日子里，大概午后一点左右，艾琳正在花园的草坪上玩耍的时候，突然听见远处传来了一阵军号声。她开心地大叫着跳起来，，因为她知道这个特别的号声表示他爸爸要来看她了。花园的这一块正在倾斜的山坡上，可以一览无遗地俯瞰下面的国家。所以她用手罩着眼睛用目光搜寻远处闪闪发亮的铠甲。没过多久一小队士兵亮闪闪地出现在山脊上。长矛和头盔闪闪发光，旗帜迎风飘扬，策马奔腾，又一声军号传来，对艾琳来说，这就如同她爸爸在远方大声呼唤：“艾琳，我来了。”

他们一直往前走，她终于能清楚地分辨出国王了。他骑着一匹白色的马，比他身边的士兵都要高。他戴着镶了一圈窄窄的金边和宝石的头盔，当他走得更近时，艾琳甚至可以看到宝石在阳光下闪烁。他上次见她已经隔了很久了，随着亮闪闪的队伍越来越近，她的小心脏也跳得越来越快，因为她是那样深切地爱着她的父王，钻进他的怀抱里她就哪儿也不想去了。他们再向前走过一段，她从花园里就看不见他们了，于是她跑到大门口，站在那里静静地等着，直到他们铿锵地来到，同时一声更加响亮的号声宣布：“艾琳，我来了。”

这时宅子里的人都聚集到门口，而艾琳独自站在他们中间。当骑兵们停下来的时候，她跑到白马那里伸出她的胳膊。国王停下来拉住了她的手。她一下就坐到了马鞍上，被他强壮结实的胳膊紧紧抱在怀里。

但愿我能描述出国王的长相，这样你们就能在脑海里想出他的模样。他有一双温柔的蓝色的眼睛，但是长着一个老鹰似的鼻子。长长的黑色胡须，掺杂着几缕银色，从他的嘴巴几乎一直垂到腰间，当艾琳坐在马鞍上把她快乐的小脸埋在他胸膛里的时候，她从母亲那里继承的金发和他的胡子混在一起，看起来就像是一缕缕阳光交织在云朵里。他把她抱在胸口片刻，然后跟他的白马说了几句话。这匹美丽尊贵的生物，刚才还在骄傲地昂首阔步，现在像个女士一样温柔地踱步，因为它知道在它背上有一位小小的女士。它从大门一直走到房门口。然后国王把她放在地上，卸下盔甲，牵着她的手和她一起走进了大殿。这里除了他来看小公主的时候以外，鲜少有人进去。他坐下稍作休息，两个参赞陪同身旁。艾琳坐在他右手边，用一个雕刻着奇异纹饰的木杯喝奶。

国王吃喝完毕才转向公主，摸着她的头发说：

“那么，我的孩子，我们接下来做什么呢？

CHAPTER 10 The Princess's King-Papa

The weather continued fine for weeks, and the little princess went out every day. So long a period of fine weather had indeed never been known upon that mountain. The only uncomfortable thing was that her nurse was so nervous and particular about being in before the sun was down that often she would take to her heels when nothing worse than a fleecy cloud crossing the sun threw a shadow on the hillside; and many an evening they were home a full hour before the sunlight had left the weather-cock on the stables. If it had not been for such odd behaviour Irene would by this time have almost forgotten the goblins. She never forgot Curdie, but him she remembered for his own sake, and indeed would have remembered him if only because a princess never forgets her debts until they are paid.

One splendid sunshiny day, about an hour after noon, Irene, who was playing on a lawn in the garden, heard the distant blast of a bugle. She jumped up with a cry of joy, for she knew by that particular blast that her father was on his way to see her. This part of the garden lay on the slope of the hill and allowed a full view of the country below. So she shaded her eyes with her hand and looked far away to catch the first glimpse of shining armour. In a few moments a little troop came glittering round the shoulder of a hill. Spears and helmets were sparkling and gleaming, banners were flying, horses prancing, and again came the bugle-blast which was to her like the voice of her father calling across the distance: 'Irene, I'm coming.'

On and on they came until she could clearly distinguish the king. He rode a white horse and was taller than any of the men with him. He wore a narrow circle of gold set with jewels around his helmet, and as he came still nearer Irene could discern the flashing of the stones in the sun. It was a long time since he had been to see her, and her little heart beat faster and faster as the shining troop approached, for she loved her king-papa very dearly and was nowhere so happy as in his arms. When they reached a certain point, after which she could see them no more from the garden, she ran to the gate, and there stood till up they came, clanging and stamping, with one more bright bugle-blast which said: 'Irene, I am come.'

By this time the people of the house were all gathered at the gate, but Irene stood alone in front of them. When the horsemen pulled up she ran to the side of the white horse and held up her arms. The king stopped and took her hands. In an instant she was on the saddle and clasped in his great strong arms.

I wish I could describe the king so that you could see him in your mind. He had gentle, blue eyes, but a nose that made him look like an eagle. A long dark beard, streaked with silvery lines, flowed from his mouth almost to his waist, and as Irene sat on the saddle and hid her glad face upon his bosom it mingled with the golden hair which her mother had given her, and the two together were like a cloud with streaks of the sun woven through it. After he had held her to his heart for a minute he spoke to his white horse, and the great beautiful creature, which had been prancing so proudly a little while before, walked as gently as a lady—for he knew he had a little lady on his back—through the gate and up to the door of the house. Then the king set her on the ground and, dismounting, took her hand and walked with her into the great hall, which was hardly ever entered except when he came to see his little princess. There he sat down, with two of his counsellors who had accompanied him, to have some refreshment, and Irene sat on his right hand and drank her milk out of a wooden bowl curiously carved.

After the king had eaten and drunk he turned to the princess and said, stroking her hair:

'Now, my child, what shall we do next?'