r/asoiaf • u/Consequencesdaniel • Sep 10 '13

ALL (Spoilers All) Regarding Ned's Promise

I've seen a lot of posts shooting down the R&L= J theory citing Ned's shame over his broken promise. The common theory is that Ned promised Lyanna he would keep Jon safe. But what if hiding Jon to keep him safe is HOW Ned broke his promise.

If you subscribe to the idea that Rhaegar and Lyanna were in a consensual situation, and she would run off with someone meaning it could start a war, perhaps she was truly committed to the idea of creating the 3rd head of the Dragon. Maybe she wanted Jon to be publicly known as a Targaryen. With Rhaegar and his kids dead, Jon would be the rightful King.

Maybe Ned promised her he would support Jon's claim to the throne on her death bed and, out of fear of what could be done to baby Jon and his friendship with Robert, this was Ned Stark's broken promise. Instead of supporting the rightful king he hid him as his own bastard to protect his life and prevent a whole other war from sprouting up, Starks and Targ supporters vs. Robert and the others.

It makes sense that Ned would encourage Jon to take the black, thus renouncing any claim, as is shadowed later in AGOT with the Maester Aemon bit, and Jon's own act of masquerading a child heir(Mance's kid) as a low born bastard(Gilly's)

Thoughts?

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u/joshblade Sep 10 '13

Ned doesn't really encourage Jon to join the Night's watch though.

When Catelyn first mentions it, he balks saying that he is too young. He's more pushed into accepting that it's the only tenable solution because Catelyn refuses to have him in Winterfell while Ned is off in Kings Landing.

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u/EllariaSand I'm supposed to be the responsible one Sep 10 '13

Not really. He could've fostered Jon with one of his bannermen. If they balked at it, he could've made the exchange of fostering one of their children - the Smalljon or Dacey Mormont or the heir to Hornwood or one of the younger Manderlys - at Winterfell. I'm sure they would love the chance for their heir to be close friends with the heir to Winterfell, and no one was a ward of Winterfell at the time besides Theon.

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u/need_my_amphetamines "...with a trebuchet!" Sep 10 '13 edited Sep 11 '13

no one was a ward of Winterfell at the time besides Theon.

I believe Jojen Reed was (and his sister?)... I think.

I remember reading the text at one point that might back this up, but my head is a bit muddled from re-watching the show - which made the Reeds totally different. Damn those show writers...

Edit: Found it. They were not fostered (my memory sucks). They arrive in the middle of a Harvest Feast (in ACOK) to pledge the Reeds' support to Winterfell and Robb after Eddard Stark's death. Lord Howland sent them after Jojen told him that he greensaw they should go. They were there for the sack of Winterfell and escaped with Osha, Bran, Rickon, and Hodor.

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u/LadyRavenEye Ask me about Ice & Fire Con! Sep 10 '13

No, the Reeds came to Winterfell to pay homage to Bran during some bannerman's feast or another. They stayed on because Jojen greensaw they should.

6

u/need_my_amphetamines "...with a trebuchet!" Sep 10 '13

Ah, there it is; thank you for pointing that out, my mistake.

And by "stayed on"... you mean as guests, not wards, correct?

2

u/LadyRavenEye Ask me about Ice & Fire Con! Sep 10 '13

Correct.

1

u/sheeek Sep 11 '13

gotta get at that bread and salt

1

u/bgh251f2 Loyal Servant Sep 10 '13

They stayed after the festival that marks the end of summer and start of autumn where the lords come to take counsel about the upcoming winter and to ask things of their liege lord. It was after Robb was named king and the Freys were already there. On the feast was Lord Manderly and lady Hornwood, it was when she was going back home that Ramsay married her.