Not really just a clickbait title? Sort of a theory if you will? That is if you will bear with me? The Tower of Joy has been messing with this fandom for years, and I guess like everyone else, I'm just trying to make sense of it?
Yea the Tower of Joy still bugs me. Some things just don't add up. No, I'm not disputing R+L=J. I'm actually sorry I even mentioned it, but it is a part of this blog and I think we need to accept it to figure out what really went on.
And I won't delve into the cairns and that whole can of worms. Let's just say something isn't right about Ned returning a foe's sword, but not returning the bodies of his friends to the North.
This blog will concentrate on the battle itself. What we have been told and try to make sense of it.
What We Know
1-- The Show-
Ned and company show up and battle ensues. Numbers may not have been same as book. I think the Northmen may have numbered 5 in the show instead of 7 as in the books, but that's not really important. The one thing to note is--this is the only example we have that the battle took place immediately upon the group's arrival. This is my point of contention, but I will get back to it.
2-- Ned's Fever Dream
He dreamt an old dream, of three knights in white cloaks, and a tower long fallen, and Lyanna in her bed of blood.
Yes, a dream and a fever dream at that, but we can not just discount this tale. We have to take certain elements as fact. We know who took part in the battle and that Lyanna gave birth.
3-- Bran's Quote from ACoK
"The finest knight I ever saw was Ser Arthur Dayne, who fought with a blade called Dawn, forged from the heart of a fallen star. They called him the Sword of the Morning, and he would have killed me but for Howland Reed." Father had gotten sad then, and he would say no more. Bran wished he had asked him what he meant.
We all wish characters had asked a few more questions, but that's beside the point. I think from this quote, we have to accept that the battle itself had to go down more or less as depicted in the show--Arthur Dayne cleaned house, but got waylaid by Howland when he went to finish off Ned.
Trying to make Sense of TOJ
OK, everyting above is a fact. The one "fact" I have an issue with is when the battle took place. The battle taking place upon the Northmen's arrival makes no sense. Why would the Kingsguard keep Ned from seeing his sister and child? They wouldn't. The war is over, their Prince and King are dead. Now, you may argue that their Prince is now upstairs and you would not be wrong, but that Prince's uncle just showed up and if they are to protect him, wouldn't that uncle be in a pretty good position to do so?
Also, the only source we have of the battle taking place immediately upon their arrival is the show. And sorry to pile on the show, but it has been proven unreliable in the past.
Basis of a Theory
So, Ned goes upstairs, sees sis, watches her die. He has 3 Kingsguard petitioning him to put the child on the Iron Throne, perhaps even petitiong him to claim the Regency for himself until the child comes of age? He has 6 weary Northmen, tired of war, looking to him for what comes next?
What Does Lord Eddard Do?
Does Lord Eddard make war on Robert, his best friend, and plunge the realm into more bloodshed? "No," he looks to his men and unsheaths his sword, "now it ends." And the events unfold just as we are told. Ned and company cut down the Kingsguard losing 5 of their own in the battle.
And if the events unfolded as such, this would explain Ned's guilt we witness in his POV chapters and his obsession with "promises," and that overwhelming feeling we get while reading that he broke those promises.
Yes, I am saying the honorable Lord Eddard Stark turned on the Kingsguard and had them executed. He did so with the best intentions, taking Jon as his son to save the realm more bloodshed, but he broke his promise to his sister to place her child on the Iron Throne. I think the last part of that is pretty much accepted by the fandom, my supposition is Ned turned on the Kingsguard and killed three men to keep Jon hidden.
Wrap Up, Thank Yous, and Source Citation
Theories are like magic in ASOIAF. They're like a sword without a hilt. What I mean by that is theories are just that and not fact. Do I stand by the theory I supposed above? Well, I do today. But, I believe in Jojen Paste, Mance is Rhaegar, Jaime and Cersei are the Mad King's get, Arthur Dayne is the halfhand and more all to varying degrees over time.
