This would answer one of the biggest questions in the series.
In case you haven’t seen the season finale of Game of Thrones, consider this to be your spoiler alert.
As Bran glimpsed at a vision of Jon Snow’s legitimate parents getting married – Lyanna Stark (Ned’s sister) and Rhaegar Targaryen (Daenerys’ brother) – a long-held truth finally hit home. Robert’s Rebellion was built on a lie.
Much like Jon Snow’s/Aegon Targaryen’s rightful claim to the Iron Throne -that’s an undeniable fact.
As we learned from Gilly’s flashback, High Septon Maynard had previously annulled Rhaeger’s marriage to his previous wife, Elia Martell, before remarrying the prince to Lyanna Stark.
Prior to this revelation, it was widely believed that Rhaegar had kidnapped and raped Lyanna.
This isn’t true because as Bran said in that scene “Rhaegar didn’t kidnap my aunt or rape her, he loved her.”
Of course, at the time of her ‘abduction’, Ned’s sister was betrothed to Robert Baratheon.
Lyanna’s abduction was one of the main reasons why Robert went to war against House Targaryen in the event known as Robert’s Rebellion.
After Lyanna vanished, Ned Stark’s father and brother travelled to King’s Landing and demanded answers from the Mad King. They were both executed and the rebellion began.
On one side we had Jon Arryn, Ned Stark and Robert Baratheon and on the other, House Targaryen and the Mad King, Aerys II.
With Season 7 of Game of Thrones ending, one of the biggest mysteries surrounds the courtship of Rhaegar and Lyanna.
How did they meet? Why did Rhaegar abandon his first wife? Why did their relationship stay secret?
In order to answers these questions, let’s go back to one of the most important events in Game of Thrones history, the tourney at Harrenhal.
It’s widely believed that the tourney was organised by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen’s supporters as a chance for him to secretly meet the other high lords. Why? Well, it’s understood that they were secretly planning a coup to overthrow his father, the Mad King. Due to his growing insanity and cruelty, it’s very likely that the high lords would have preferred Rhaegar to sit on the throne.
Prior to this tournament, the Mad King locked himself in the Red Keep and refused to come out in public. Following the advice of Lord Varys, his Master of Whisperers, the Mad King made a rare exception for this event at Harrenhal and stunned everyone.
Prior to the start of the tourney, Howland Reed (Meera’s father) was attacked by three young squires -Reed was a crannogmen of The Neck and people from this area of Westeros were frequently subjected to a fair amount of racism and hatred.
During this assault, Reed was mysteriously saved by a ‘she-wolf’, Lyanna Stark, and after being treated for his wounds in her tent, Reed meets Ned Stark and his brothers. During the feast, Rhaegar played one of his sad, beautiful songs on his harp, and it made Lyanna weep. This is their very first interaction.
Ok, this will be important as the events unfold.
When the tourney begins, a mysterious knight known as the ‘Knight of the Laughing Tree’ enters the tourney and defeats those knights whose squires bullied Howland Reed.
After learning of this, The Mad King instantly orders Rhaegar Targaryen to discover the identity of this mystery knight – the Knight of the Laughing Tree. It’s claimed that the Mad King felt that this mysterious knight could be an assassin.
The Knight of the Laughing Tree never reappears and only their shield is found.
The theory is that Lyanna Stark is this mysterious knight and Rhaegar Targaryen actually tracked her down. If true, this is when their relationship began.
After this meeting occurred, Prince Rhaegar participated in the tourney and beat a collection of very accomplished knights (Arthur Dayne and Barristan Selmy, both of the Kingsguard, were two of the men beaten by him) to win the tourney.
We all know what happened next.
Rather than present his wife, Elia Martell, with a wreath of flowers with to crown her as ‘Queen of Love and Beauty’, he gave that accolade to Lyanna Stark instead. Perhaps he wanted to honour her because he knew that Lyanna was the mystery knight of the tournament?
Maybe, just maybe, their conversation from the night before had convinced Rhaegar to abandon his marriage and seek Lyanna?
Barristan Selmy has previously said that Rhaegar was ‘fond’ of the pretty, but pale and sickly Elia, but love was not the word he used.
Ok, why did Rhaegar seek an annulment from Elia?
As a child, Rhaegar was consumed and driven to fulfill a prophecy that he learned, the one regarding The Prince That Was Promised to lead mankind in the war against the White Walkers.
After he realised that he was not Azor Ahai reborn, Rhaegar made it his mission to produce a family line that would ensure this prophecy.
Three children that represented the three heads of the dragon.
Unfortunately, the health of Rhaegar’s wife Elia Martell suffered greatly during her first two pregnancies. The maesters warned that she would not survive an attempt to have a third child.
This may have encouraged Rhaegar to try to fulfill the prophecy, secure an annulment and have a third child with another woman.
As we saw in the show, following the events of Robert’s Rebellion, Howland Reed and Ned Stark travel to the Tower of Joy to find Lyanna and her newborn baby, Jon Snow/Aegon Targaryen.
This being said, Lyanna Stark’s motivations remain a wonderful mystery.
Why did she break her oath of betrothal to Robert, run off with a married man, and refuse to tell her family? Compare that with the honour and integrity of her brother, Ned Stark.
Lyanna’s marriage to Rhaegar ultimately resulted in her father being burned alive and her brother being choked to death by the Mad King.
She refused to return home, a war was started, tens of thousands of people died, and the realm is torn apart. All this without mentioning the fact that Robert killed her husband at the Battle of the Trident.
What were her motivations? Why didn’t she send a raven to Winterfell? Why this secret romance?
It’s absolutely fascinating and if you need more information about the tourney at Harrenhal, these two videos should do it.
Here’s hoping that the next season of Game of Thrones addresses this mystery.
Clip via – WatchersOnTheWall and Alt Shift X
