Game of Thrones Predictions Part III: Jon Targaryen
In the lead up to the premiere of Season 7 of Thrones, I will be writing about 7 predictions for the upcoming season. We’re looking deep here and reflecting on past seasons to refresh. And remember, Winter is Coming.
In the last prediction, we took a look at the Stark children, but now I want to focus on two of those particular children: Bran and Jon. As we have discussed in the prior installment, Jon is now King in the North while Bran is recovering from a Wight attack north of the wall. It was during this time that Bran’s visions allowed him to see back in time to see Eddard “Ned” Stark and Howland Reed at the Tower of Joy to save Lyanna Stark, Eddard’s sister. The events of these flashbacks are important and, ultimately, leave us with a pretty pressing question: Will anyone in Westeros believe what Bran saw?
The prediction is that Bran will tell Jon about his parentage, but what is the likelihood that anyone believes him?
Again, this prediction will also be assigned a percentage of it’s likelihood to happen. Whether the percentage is high or low, we do have to talk about the possibility because it’s important to know how the question could even be conceivable. We’ll dive into a little backstory, rehash old plot points, and ultimately come to a conclusion.
**SPOILERS AHEAD**
So in honor of the Seven Kingdoms, the Faith of the Seven and Seven episodes of Season Seven; here are 7 predictions for the upcoming season of the critically acclaimed drama. Let’s look at the third prediction:
Will the realm accept that Jon is a Targaryen?
When we left season six, we got the conclusion of what truly happened at the Tower of Joy all those years ago. The Tower of Joy is a tower that was named by Rhaegar Targaryen himself and where Lyanna Stark was either kept hostage or kept as a resident while giving birth to Jon.
A little history lesson:
Throughout the series, we hear bits and pieces of the story that essentially sparked Robert Baratheon’s rebellion. We only hear bits in pieces of this because Ned Stark does not talk about what happened and made a promise to Lyanna about the Tower of Joy. The tale all revolves around Lyanna being betrothed to Robert, but then being kidnapped by Daenerys’ older brother, Rhaegar, after he presented her with the crown of roses following a tournament at Harrenhal. Now, the crown of roses is traditionally given to the most beautiful woman attending and as every good husband/boyfriend knows: you give this to your wife.
He didn’t, however, choosing to give the roses to Lyanna over his wife Elia Martell of Dorne. One year later, Rhaegar kidnapped Lyanna and took her to the Tower of Joy in the Red Mountains of Dorne (which is curious because his wife is Dornish. I haven’t found a reasoning for this yet other than maybe they were going for a “hiding in plain sight” strategy OR that Elia Martell knew and given the Dornish’s very liberal views on romance, understood what Rhaegar desired).
Bran’s visions helped us see that Lyanna was at the Tower of Joy and Howland Reed (Meera Reed’s father) and Ned were able to defeat the Kingsguard stationed there, but were ultimately too late to rescue Lyanna from dying. We see that she didn’t die at the hands of injuries sustained by being captive of the “enemy,” but from childbirth. We discover what Lyanna made Ned promise after all these years which is to take care of Jon and to make sure that no one is aware that he’s actually the offspring of her and Rhaegar. For if anyone knew of his true parentage, he likely would have been a target of the Baratheons or Lannisters.
The information we’re not entirely sure of from Bran’s visions is whether or not Lyanna was kidnapped or if she went there by choice. This is crucial because it may cause Bran to seek out more information about the incidents of that time so he has a whole story to present to Jon.
My guess: Lyanna was there by choice.
After the battle of Harrenhal, it was a full year until Rhaegar and Lyanna made for the Tower of Joy. That gives plenty of time for the seed of desire planted by Rhaegar to blossom into a full romance. When Lyanna was at the Tower of Joy she wasn’t just guarded by ordinary Targaryen soldiers, but Kingsguard knights that included the legendary Ser Arthur Dayne. Bran remembers his father Ned describing Dayne as a fine knight and he truly respected the fallen warrior. Arthur Dayne is remembered as a knight of high valor. I don’t believe this is the type of person to blindly follow orders that are not honorable in nature, especially since Ned and company only arrived there after Rhaegar was killed by Robert and the war was over. Dayne would not have to be there any longer, unless he felt his presence was necessary to protect Lyanna. With these factors, it is my belief that Lyanna was there willingly and Jon Snow was the product of love.
That’s all conjecture, though, and based off the visions of a crippled boy in a world where magic is seldom believed to exist. When Bran starts having visions before he leaves Winterfell in an earlier season, Maester Luwin tells him that they are just dreams. Since dragons have left Westeros with the downfall of the Targaryens and the Children of the Woods disappearing, many Westerosi doubt magic’s existence. Therefore, Bran will need a little bit more than just his word to convince not just Jon, but the realm that there is a second Targaryen heir. So will people believe Bran’s visions?
Prediction: 80% likely
Reasoning: I’ve mentioned this character briefly in the previous prediction post so like the show, you might have forgotten his name. The Former First Ranger of the Night’s Watch, Benjen Stark, is back in our lives after a 5 season hiatus. I don’t believe the show runners brought Benjen back in the show unless they had a really good reason. The podcast hosts of Binge Mode note that *spoilers* in Season 5, the death of Jon Snow is changed from the book to the show. In the book, it’s the result of much less planning and taking advantage of chaos whereas in the show, it’s Ollie who lures him outside with talk of Benjen Stark being spotted. The hosts point out that this was changed because the show-runners likely want us to remember that Benjen is alive. There’s also another instance in Season 6 where Bran’s sight allows him to see his father and Benjen sparring as children. Another reminder.
My guess, Benjen knows who can help corroborate what Bran saw. The last living person from the Tower of Joy story: Howland Reed. Howland never told his children about his part on the rebellion so this very well could be their only route. Benjen was also Ned and Lyanna’s brother. There’s a strong chance, I believe, that Ned told Benjen of his sister just in case anything were to happen to him. It’s not crazy to think that Benjen is just as honorable with secret keeping as Ned, especially when it has to do with their beloved sister.
Another aspect I like to make note of, is that the people of Westeros trust the words of others very intently. Word is bond in Westeros and if there’s a way to get Cersei off the Iron Throne, Bran’s word is as good as any. At least for Northerners.
Combine that with Howland and Benjen, then you have a pretty good case in the eyes of the old gods.
Let’s see how Daenerys takes this news.
Thanks for checking out Part III of the Predictions Series! Check out the previous predictions below and more!
