Game of Thrones might have been very, verrrry different...
Incestuous relationships are nothing new in Game of Thrones.
From Lannister siblings Cersei and Jaime from season one onwards to Jon Snow having sex with his aunt Daenerys Targaryen at the end of the penultimate season, it's been part of the show throughout.
Interestingly, Snow, who only
discovered his true bloodline at the start of the final season, might have been involved in a different incestuous relationship altogether had George RR Martin stuck with his original plans for
A Song of Ice and Fire.
During preparation for the book series which Game of Thrones is based on, Martin plotted how Arya Stark would fall for her half-brother Snow, who is later revealed to be her cousin. The character, played by Maisie Williams in GoT, was supposed to fall in love with Jon as she joined him on their journey to The Wall.
As highlighted by
The Independent, Martin's outline reads:
'Wounded by Lannister riders, they will seek refuge at the Wall, but the men of the Night’s Watch give up their families when they take the black, and Jon and Benjen will not be able to help, to Jon’s anguish. It will lead to a bitter estrangement between Jon and Bran. Arya will be more forgiving… until she realises, with terror, that she has fallen in love with Jon, who is not only her half-brother but a man of the Night’s Watch, sworn to celibacy.
'Their passion will continue to torment Jon and Arya throughout the trilogy, until the secret of Jon’s true parentage is finally revealed in the last book.'
Thankfully for all Game of Thrones fans, there has never been a romantic element to the pair's relationship. In fact, Arya and Jon were only reunited in the season eight opener last week - the first time they appeared together in a scene since the first season.
