#tkotlt

[sare11aa11eras]

Just before

[Image Description: a full-color drawing, depicting the moment before Lyanna Stark is discovered to be the Knight of tihe Laughing Tree by Rhaegar Targaryen.

In the foreground, Lyanna Stark stands on a large grey stone at the edge of some water. She is barefoot and her shirt’s ties are undone so it falls open, revealing linen chest wrappings. Her shirt is white with red details and a silvery-grey lining. She also wears strips of light-colored fabric like her chest wrappings around her wrists. She wears dark grey stirrup pants. Her hair is in two braids, one still piled up on her head, the other falling down. Her hair ribbons are blue. Her bangs are plastered to her forehead. A necklace with a silver pendant with a wolf emblem on it is tucked into her chest wrappings. In her left hand, she holds her plain, wooden jousting lance straight up. Her helmet is propped between her left elbow and hip. She looks downward, towards the water in front of her, smiling, looking breathless and excited.

Also in the foreground is water, lots of grass, reeds, cattails, and more grey stones. A sapphire sits in the water. A pair of steel-toed leather boots is nearby. A little behind Lyanna, a crumpled grey dress is lying in the grass. A frog sits on the stump of a tree. There are a few purple flowers and red weirwood leaves scattered here and there.

In the midground is a massive weirwood tree, its foliage taking up much of the top half of the drawing. Lyanna’s shield, painted with the image of a laughing weirwood, is propped beneath its face. A raven perches on one of its boughs, in profile. A figure in profile wearing red and black, Rhaegar, is just coming around the tree, sword extended in front. The background is mostly blue, with an attempt to convey more trees and forest behind the subjects. / End ID.]

[vivacissimx]

Summary:

“The Knight of the Laughing Tree had vanished. The king was wroth, and even sent his son the dragon prince to seek the man, but all they ever found was his painted shield, hanging abandoned in a tree. It was the dragon prince who won that tourney in the end.” —ASOS, Bran II

Or: The story of Rhaegar and Lyanna, come upon each other in the pathless woods.

Rated T

16k words

Genfic (pairing tagged from an abundance of caution)

Feat. Benjen Stark, Howland Reed, Oswell Whent, and Arthur Dayne

A super exclusive meet & greet! (except it's just Rhaegar's Aerys complex meeting Lyanna's Brandon complex)

[katshuya]

Rhaegar and Lyanna Did Not Challenge the System or rebell against it as their fans claim.

This fan projection, “Rhaegar and Lyanna were victims of the patriarchal system. They just wanted love and freedom. If they had lived, they would have changed everything.” is built on romanticism, aesthetics, and modern values retrofitted onto two highborn characters who never actually rebelled against the structure they just benefited from it and escaped its responsibility then thought they could go back once things settle to enjoy its privilages.

And this is not to say Lyanna should have not escaped Robert. But the way she did it and with whom. It's about accountability.

Also, standing against injust and bullying (TKOTLT) doesn't equal or indicate she wanted to challenge patriarchy.

Rhaegar told Jaime he plans to make changes and doesn't equal giving women rights as men or chllanging a system that gives his authority and comfort. In fact, he had a firstborn daughter, but he named his son his heir. He wasn't a pro women's rights. And don't you blame Aerys being alive for it. Rhaegar clearly wanted his son as his heir as we were told in Dany's vision and being tpwwp doesn't mean you have to be king.

Do you think Rhaegar seriously would have spoken up to his nobles against arranged marriages and he wouldn't have arranged ones for his children? Like it or not they needed arranged marriages. And after the mess he pulled? Definitely.

Vague promises after starting a war ≠ desire to reform system and especially for women.

Rhaegar and Lyanna may have had personal senses of right and wrong and thought women were important too, but they were never willing to sacrifice their own privilege to bring structural change. In fact, when they wanted something, freedom, love, prophecy they used the same system they supposedly hated and still kept its privillages.

Justice in some context ≠ desire to change the system.

Good Deeds ≠ Systemic Rebellion

And it's not judge them for not being these modernized feminist people but:

-Their hypocrisy and the huge mess and hurt they caused along with the accountability that they dropped on other are absolutely fair to judge.

People try to excuse them as “just in love” or “didn’t mean harm.” “They were victims of patriarchy.”

They stopped being victims when they hurt others for their own benefits and still wanted its privilages. And again a man in political marriage is nothing compared to the woman.

And the outcome was not small collateral. It was:

The death of two innocent children. The murder of Elia, a woman abandoned without real protection. The civil war killed thousands and destabilized the entire realm.

They didn’t just “fall in love” they disappeared and expected to go back one day and still have the privilages of system they supposedly fough against and let everyone else carry their mess.

Duncan Targaryen gave up his claim. Jeneye had no known influence in court. And yet Rhaelle still paid the price. But what did they give up for their perfect love? Nothing. They still wanted it all.

Lyanna's fans say she didn't desire to be queen. I agree. Yet they still want her to become queen along with Elia or by making Rhaegar "generously and very feminist-like send Elia back to her happiness in Dorne after using her to the end of the limits she could" or there are those who say she would be mistress and still have influence and freedom to ride horse and wave sword at enemies. They think even the queen version would have this freedom. And of course Jon has to be legetimized. And if he isn't he has very good influence like his mother.

On what grounds does Elia have to give up her position or share it with Lyanna? Elevating Lyanna for them always requires Elia to give up everything for her or share it. That is disgusting and misogynistic from them and from Rhaegar and Lyanna.

Like even if Elia was so fine with them (as if), why would she share this with Lyanna?

Your favorite couple isn't so just now, are they?

“They couldn’t have predicted the war.” “They were just in love.” “They were victims of their time.”

No they knew even if not detailed:

Rebellion had already happened in Westeros over a broken betrothal.

Aerys was a paranoid tyrant who burned people alive and already believed Rhaegar wanted to replace him running off with Lyanna looked like sedition.

Lyanna was engaged to Robert Baratheon, a man who would absolutely take offense.

The Starks wouldn't just sit still because Aerys is mad. If anything it looked like Rhaegar was using his father's madness against them. You are doomed if you try to look for your "kidnapped" girl. Brandon was a fool but his reaction was expected.

They didn’t just act recklessly. They acted like the rules wouldn’t apply to them. They gave up nothing and wanted everything.

Rhaegar and Lyanna were not rebels. They were privileged youths who believed their story mattered more than the realm.

They didn’t dismantle the system. They simply tried to bend it for themselves. They wanted the benefits of patriarchy and monarchy without the consequences of duty, alliance, and loyalty. And when the consequences came anyway, they left others to bleed for their dreams.

Their fans still excuse them by saying “they meant well.” But intentions don’t erase corpses. They were not punished by the system. They weaponized it and got caught in the blast.

Even though I don’t believe age excuses someone from accountability, I do think Lyanna’s youth played a role in her failure to critically examine the system or her own hypocrisy within it. But age doesn’t explain away the pain and humiliation she helped inflict on Elia. Rhaegar bears the brunt of the blame, but Lyanna was old enough to know better. And by Ned’s own memories, we were told she was aware enough to understand the weight of what she inflicting upon Elia.

[glossywooo]

IM IN LOVEEE WITH THIS MUSIC VIDEO. The animation is so beautiful, i just had to draw something for it

[hackedbyawriter]

Lyanna and Rhaegar did not Fall in Love

Spoilers

I’m going to pitch in my two cents. Let’s start with the Tourney at Harrenhaal.

So we all agree that Lyanna was most definitely the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

Do you guys remember what she said when she won? She told the Knights to teach their squires honour.

This and the fact that she entered the lists in lieu of Howland Reed’s slight to his honour suggests that Lyanna, as wild and fierce as she may be, holds the concept honour quite highly. A characteristic that most Starks share.

If you all remember Aerys orders TKOTLT to be hunted down and brought to him. But nothing remained but the shield.

It’s generally accepted that Rhaegar eventually found out it was her and they fell in love. I beg to differ.

That’s right, you heard me. Lyanna and Rhaegar did not fall in love.

Well, at least not at that moment. Like c’mon guys this is G.R.R Martin we’re talking about.

Here is what I think happened.

Rhaegar tracks her down and confronts her about it in private. She doesn't deny it. Rhaegar tells her that Aerys would probably want her head because of a perceived plot against him.

Lyanna replies, probably says something witty about how Rhaegar’s head should be one brought to the Mad King. (It is thought that Rhaegar most likely held this tourney to overthrow the King and I don’t think Lyanna would be unaware of it).

But soon after that, she tells him that she is prepared to go before the King, profess her innocence in any conspiracy and die for it if need be.

Rhaegar, impressed, states he expected nothing less from The Knight of the Laughing Tree and tells her that he would spare her.

Startled she asks why.

He tells her there are shortage Knights who could claim to be as honourable as her, and it would be a pity to kill her.

Probably thinking of how her being labelled a traitor might affect her family she reluctantly agrees. Lyanna then proceeds to tell Rhaegar that she is honour bound to him and if there is anything he needs from her, he should only ask it. (Do you see where I’m going with this).

He also tells her he intends to name her Queen of Love and Beauty once he wins.

Jokingly she states that he doesn't know whether he would win. But when understanding falls on her she asks what Elia would think? What all the Lords and Ladies would think?

He tells her she deserved the victor’s crown and this was the least he could do. Besides she risked everything by entering in the lists and he in turn would be willing to risk everything to credit her.

Conclusion:

Rhaegar named Lyanna Queen of Love and Beauty because he felt that she deserved the Victor’s prize.

Lyanna went with Rhaegar to have the third head of the dragon because she was honour bound to him for saving her life.

She most likely considered her own honour (maidenhood and marriage to Robert) secondary to her promise to Rhaegar. Just like how her brother Ned considered his own honour secondary to his promise to her.

So a civil war happened because two idealists were too intent on maintaining honour in a dishonourable world.

[lostchildofthenewworld]

I’m tickled cause can you imagine Rhaegar finding TKotLT and it’s just smol Howland?

Omg I hate you for that realization about Elia at the tourney! (just kidding I don't hate you ofc) but Jesus. But on the other hand Elia was stunning and to be boot graceful and witty (the worst thing Cersei could say about her was her flat chest) that IMO there had to have been some men who secretly wanted to crown her and thought Rhaegar was an idiot. But maybe I'm being too optimistic.

I think everyone thought Rhaegar was an idiot for not crowning his own wife. Like, I think even Mace Tyrell thought it was a dumb move, and he's an idiot.

As for people that secretly wanted to crown Elia... there were probably quite a few of them hanging around! Whether they actually would have if they won probably depended on several factors, but I don't see how no one would want to.

[heypunkletsdance]

Was just on a forum where this guy was arguing vehemently that Lyanna Stark could not have been The Knight of the Laughing Tree because she was a girl.

I'm kind of wondering if this guy really reads ASOIAF because if he did he would know about:

1. Arya Stark

2. Brienne of Tarth

3. The Sand Snakes

4. Arianne Martell

5. Asha Greyjoy

Not to mention the wilding women like Osha and Ygritte. All of these women are proven warriors but nope. He just won't buy it.