ASOS: Meera's story, or how Ned met Howland

[Tyrion's Wife]

In Bran's chapter of ASOS, on their way to the wall, Bran askes Meera and Jojen if they know any stories, and Meera recounts the story of the Knight of the Laughing Tree. In the story, a Cannogman ends up at the tourney of Harrenhal when Raeghar named Lyanna the Queen of Love and Beauty (it never mentions it by name, but all evidence points to it). There he is beaten up by 3 squires, one serving the house of Frey (twin towers), another serving a porcupine knight, and another a pitchfork knight. Lyanna (referred to as a she-wolf) saves him, and takes him to her tent, where he meets her 'pack brothers', who are three: the wild wolf who led them, the quiet one and the pup. I guess these refer to Brandon, Ned and Benjen respectively.

The story continues to say how the Crannogman prayed to the Isle of Faces gods for the defeat of the 3 knights of the squires who beat him up during the tourney, as he was too small to do it himself. The next day, a mystery knight, bearing a sigil with a weirwood with a face on it appeared, challenged the 3 knights and defeated them. He was described as small, and Bran thought he was the Crannogman himself. The knight disappeared the next day.

My theories on this story is that it happened in reality, with the Crannogman being Howland Reed himself, recounting how he met Ned Stark. I also think that the knight was in reality Ned Stark, and it was that act which brought the two together and made them friends.

I don't know if this was ever mentioned before, so in that case, apologies.

Well, what do you think?

Also, anyone knows who has the sigils of the porcupine and pitchfork?

[A wilding]

Just about everything has come up before I am afraid.

Most people do indeed consider it to be true; porcupine is Blount and pitchfork Haigh IIRC (obscure minor houses anyway); the front runner to be the Knight of the Laughing Tree is Lyanna herself, partly on the grounds that this is why Rhaegar Targaryen decided to crown her Queen of Love and Beauty.

[Tyrion's Wife]

Thanks, that makes more sense!