11 The Testing of a Hero

11. THE TESTING OF A HERO Rough hands wound chains around Hiccup until he was trussed up like a chicken. 'Mother, what are you doing?' said Alvin, uneasily through his mask. 'What did I tell you last time? I have been dealing with this kid for quite a while and the only thing to do with him is to kill him the second we have him in our hook! We have all the Things now. We should just kill him, and then we should kill all his Dragonmarker followers.'

11. 考验英雄粗糙的双手用铁链缠住嗝嗝，直到他像一只鸡一样被捆起来。 “妈妈，你在干什么？”阿尔文透过面具不安地说。 “上次我是怎么跟你说的？” 我和这孩子打交道已经有一段时间了唯一能做的就是一旦他落入我们的圈套就杀了他！我们现在拥有了所有的东西。 我们应该杀了他，然后我们应该杀了他所有的龙标记追随者。”

'We can't go around killing everybody, Alvin sweetest,' said the witch piously, 'for if we did, we'd have no subjects left. We need to change the minds of his followers, turn them into Alvinsmen, and then we won't have to kill them. It's politics, Alvin darling. Leave the politics to me. OPEN UP THE TRAPDOOR!' CREEEAKKKKKK! A huge trapdoor opened in the middle of the room, directly on to the sea below. 'Hiccup is going to break the loyalty of these irritating followers of his by telling us where Stoick and Valhallarama and the rest of the Dragonmarkers are hiding,' said the witch.

“我们不能到处杀人，阿尔文，最亲爱的，”女巫虔诚地说，“因为如果我们这样做，我们就没有臣民了。 我们得改变他追随者的想法，把他们变成阿尔文氏信徒，这样我们就不用杀他们了。 这是政治，阿尔文·达林。 把政治交给我吧。打开活板门！”CREEEAKKKKKK !房间中央开了一扇巨大的活板门，正对着下面的大海。 “小嗝嗝会告诉我们斯托伊克、瓦尔哈拉拉马和其他龙的标记藏在哪里，从而动摇他那些讨厌的追随者的忠诚。”

Stoick and Valhallarama's secret underground hideout was at Coral Beach, the other side of Wrecker's Bay. But neither the witch nor the Dragon Furious had discovered this yet. 'I most certainly am not,' said Hiccup, as strongly and as defiantly as he could, given that he was almost paralysed with fear. 'I can assure you, you most certainly are,' said the witch. 'You are going to tell me where your mother and the rest of the Dragonmarkers are hiding, or else I am going to lower you down into this freezing

斯托伊克和瓦尔哈拉拉马的秘密地下藏身处在沉船湾另一边的珊瑚滩。 但是女巫和狂龙都还没有发现这一点。 “我当然不会，”小嗝嗝说，尽可能地强硬和挑衅，因为他几乎被吓得瘫痪了。 “我可以向你保证，你肯定是。”女巫说。 “你得告诉我你妈妈和其他龙的标记藏在哪里，否则我就把你扔到冰天雪地里

water, wrapped in chains, and leave you down there until you see sense, or you drown, whichever is the sooner.' 'I will never betray my friends,' said Hiccup, really, really hoping that this was true. 'You heard him, he said NEVER!' said Alvin. 'Never is a long word,' replied the witch. 'The Winterfleshers have gathered, so Hiccup will not only have freezing water to contend with, but the bite of Winterfleshers. Winterfleshers are small but they are deadly in packs, and they will certainly attack a chained child.' Winterfleshers were small but unpleasant dragons, a little like piranhas. When they attacked in shoals they could strip a deer down to its skeleton in precisely three minutes. 'SHAME ON YOU!' cried Gobber. The Dragonmarkers howled their disapproval and horror. 'But he might get away!' warned the strangled voice of Alvin through the mask.

水，用铁链捆着，把你丢在下面，直到你醒悟过来，否则你就淹死，以早者为准。“我永远不会背叛我的朋友，”小嗝嗝说，他真的、真的希望这是真的。 “你听到了，他说绝不！”阿尔文说。 “绝不是一个很长的词，”女巫回答说。 冬兽们聚集在一起，小嗝嗝不仅要面对冰冷的水，还要面对冬兽的咬伤。 冬天的食肉动物很小，但它们成群结队是致命的，它们肯定会攻击一个被锁着的孩子。”冬肉龙是体型小但令人讨厌的龙，有点像食人鱼。 当它们成群结队地攻击时，它们可以在三分钟内把一只鹿剥得只剩骨架。 “你真丢脸！”戈伯叫道。 龙的标记们嚎叫着表示反对和恐惧。 “但他可能跑掉！”阿尔文的声音透过面具发出警告。

'Pish posh,' purred the witch. 'You worry too much, Alvin, my little lobster-pot. He's completely wrapped in chains! How can he possibly get away? The boy is not superhuman! He's not even a Hero! He's just a perfectly ordinary small boy. You will realise this when he betrays his own people, and you Dragonmarkers will see that your so-called Leader is not worthy of your loyalty… 'LOWER HIM THROUGH THE TRAP DOOR!' screamed the witch. 'AND EVERYBODY, FEEL ABSOLUTELY FREE TO CHANGE SIDES AT ANY MOMENT!' The witch's plan was very simple. To lower Hiccup down into the icy freezing water of the Bay, water so mind-numbingly cold that it entered the very soul and rendered it dead as an iceberg. She would dip Hiccup in that water, like a sword smith quenches a sword. Would it make Hiccup, or

“嘘，时髦。”女巫咕噜着。 “你太担心了，阿尔文，我的小龙虾锅。 他完全被铁链捆住了！他怎么可能跑掉呢？ 这男孩不是超人！他连英雄都算不上！他只是一个非常普通的小男孩。 当他背叛自己的族人时，你们就会意识到这一点，而你们这些龙的标记会发现，你们所谓的领袖根本配不上你们的忠诚……女巫尖叫道。 “所有人，随时可以自由地改变立场！”女巫的计划很简单。 把小嗝嗝放进海湾冰冷的水里，冰冷得让人麻木的水进入他的灵魂，使他像冰山一样死去。 她会把小嗝嗝浸在水里，就像剑匠灭剑一样。 会不会是小嗝嗝

break Hiccup? Hiccup did not know. He looked down into the grim, soulless water, and he was shaking already. He had fallen into the sea in winter before, and he knew how it almost burned you at first, and how quickly you turned numb, as if you had ceased to exist. He also knew what a surprisingly short time it took to die in the winter sea– two, three minutes, perhaps? Please don't let me give in… thought Hiccup to himself. Please let me be braver than I think I am… Down. Down. Down. Hiccup was lowered, by two Alvinsmen Warriors, down, down into the cold, cold sea.

打破打嗝?小嗝嗝不知道。 他低头望着冰冷无情的海水，已经在颤抖了。 他以前在冬天也掉进过海里，他知道刚开始你差点被海水烫着，然后很快就麻木了，好像你已经不存在了。 他也知道，在冬天的大海里，死的时间短得惊人——也许两三分钟？ 请不要让我屈服……小嗝嗝心想。 请让我比自己想象的更勇敢…… 下来。下来。小嗝嗝被两个阿尔文勇士放下来，沉到冰冷的大海里。