What would you do if you were rhaegar?

[purple-eyes]

I think we all agree what rhaegar did with lyanna led to a worst outcome. 

Many people blamed him stupid, reckless and cold blooded to his family, including myself. 

 

Now imagine you are in rhaegar's stead, you just met lyanna as KOLT. 

You decided you must sleep with her and make a child with her (no matter for love or prophecy or both or whatever reason) 

 

Here are the facts you faced: 

1. Your king father is mentally unstable and mistrust you. 

2. You are married to Elia martell and had two children. Martell is a big house. 

3. Lyanna is daughter of another major house, house stark. 

4. Lyanna is long time fiancée of Robert, head of a major house and also his cousin. 

 

Here is is what I think he should do: 

1. Seduced lyanna, enraged Robert and let Robert come to challenge him. 

2. Mad king would kill Robert for treason. 

3. Set aside elia martell by claiming she is barren and sent her back to Dorne. But kept aegon as heir to appease doran. 

4. Propose to marry lyanna stark. 

 

 

 

Here te is what rhaegar did: 

1. Crowned her as queen of love and Beatty publicly in for not his wife. 

2. Abducted her by force and silently hid in mountain for one year. 

3. Never showed up until he was found by white bull. 

 

 

 

What at is the best way to achieve your purpose (have a child with lyanna)? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[purple-eyes]

Please do not say if you were rhaegar, you will just stay at home and play with rhaenys and aegon.

you had to father a child from lyanna. 

[shmewdog]

I'd just annoy Robert until he got mad enough to lay hands on me, and then I'd have him executed for assaulting a prince of the blood.

[purple-eyes]

I'd just annoy Robert until he got mad enough to lay hands on me, and then I'd have him executed for assaulting a prince of the blood.

this is very smart, like daemon did to laena's fiancée. 

But then lyanna may be promised to another man by stark? 

[shmewdog]

this is very smart, like daemon did to laena's fiancée. 

But then lyanna may be promised to another man by stark? 

I don't think that betrothals are planned too far ahead.  For example, if heir A dies than you are set to marry heir B.  There would at least be a chance to be like, hey Rickard, why marry your daughter to anyone else when you can marry her to the future king?

[Good Guy Garlan]

I wait until Robert marries Lyanna and then Elia and I invite them to a swingers party

[purple-eyes]

I don't think that betrothals are planned too far ahead.  For example, if heir A dies than you are set to marry heir B.  There would at least be a chance to be like, hey Rickard, why marry your daughter to anyone else when you can marry her to the future king?

then how you persuade your king and faith and house martell to accept a polygamy marriage? Without being exiled? 

Or you will try to set aside elia martell firstly? This one may be easier than polygamy. 

[shmewdog]

then how you persuade your king and faith and house martell to accept a polygamy marriage? Without being exiled? 

Or you will try to set aside elia martell firstly? This one may be easier than polygamy. 

I'd pull the Targaryen card and say that since Aegon the Conqueror had two wives so can I.  There is little that Dorne could do about it and the North would likely welcome it.  If they could accept the polygamy of my forebears than why not mine own?

[purple-eyes]

I'd pull the Targaryen card and say that since Aegon the Conqueror had two wives so can I.  There is little that Dorne could do about it and the North would likely welcome it.  If they could accept the polygamy of my forebears than why not mine own?

I guess because your forebears have three giant dragons? 

Even maegor was striped of power and kicked out of country due to polygamy. 

I think this is quite risky. It is better to set aside elia and make yourself single. 

 

[kimim]

I call my council and let Lyanna marry Robert. I then do what half the rulers in rw did: Have a long-term affair with Lyanna, trying to time babies in a way where I'll know if she gets pregnant, it's likely mine. Meanwhile, she can lie to Robert--baby's a preemie, overdue, whatever. This way, I keep my mistress, keep my wife, get my baby, and get rid of Aerys. As far as my undying, melancholy virtue or her own wolfish one: Seriously, they ran off together while he was married with kids, so that concept doesn't apply to either of them.

[purple-eyes]

I call my council and let Lyanna marry Robert. I then do what half the rulers in rw did: Have a long-term affair with Lyanna, trying to time babies in a way where I'll know if she gets pregnant, it's likely mine. Meanwhile, she can lie to Robert--baby's a preemie, overdue, whatever. This way, I keep my mistress, keep my wife, get my baby, and get rid of Aerys. As far as my undying, melancholy virtue or her own wolfish one: Seriously, they ran off together while he was married with kids, so that concept doesn't apply to either of them.

this is brilliant. 

Just like Aerys fathered tyrion (likely)

Summon Robert to be hand or council member in court then somehow sent him to a mission or fight a rebellion (like iron born) , then secretly had a child with lyanna. Declared she had a stillborn. Then Legitimize him as a royal prince. 

 

 

[kimim]

this is brilliant. 

Just like Aerys fathered tyrion (likely)

Summon Robert to be hand or council member in court then somehow sent him to a mission or fight a rebellion (like iron born) , then secretly had a child with lyanna. Declared she had a stillborn. Then Legitimize him as a royal prince. 

 

 

Anything is possible, and anything is better than eloping.

[Wavey Sauce]

keep it in my pants.

 

But honestly if I loved her I sure as hell would make it own that there was no kidnapping. Would take her to the capital and lay it out and be honest with Ellia. And if sociopath dad pulled any BS take care of him somehow, the only true problem would be bob being jealous. but if lyanna flat out told him she loved another and doesnt want to be with him, he would have hated it but accepted it. instead he thought she was kidnapped and being raped and he was to be her savior knight in shining armor 

[sonnyandthebuzz]

I suppose it all depends on the child Rhaegar intended to have.

But if I were Rhaegar I would kill Robert in the seven-sided melee. If the melee was after the jousting incident with the Knight of the Laughing Tree.

Then just have sex with Lyanna at a later determined date. Perhaps when he knows she's in the Riverlands. 

If I were him I'd be super confident about everything else. He'll soon inherit the Iron Throne. He can arrange all sorts of things with Elia (death, treachery, accident, plain-old covert affair). He can move around as he pleases. He has friends everywhere. And who doesn't want to sleep with the most handsome, honorable, multi-talented Prince of Dragonstone?

Rhaegar acted compulsively at the wrong time. He didn't need to take Lyanna publicly. At least not yet. He was too hasty in this. However he should have acted impulsively to ensure he and Robert are in the melee and he kills Robert. 

This avoids any sort of war, at least initially. He could have played the long game and come out on top.

[redtree]

Turkey baster baby all the way, get both of them drunk and inject Lyanna then i'll offer to foster the kid.
None of that QoLaB and running away/kidnapping sh1t, i wouldn't disrespect someone who almost died giving birth to my baby and waste people's life like that. Seriously though, i don't get the attraction to Lyanna

[Knight Of Winter]

Now imagine you are in rhaegar's stead, you just met lyanna as KOLT. 

You decided you must sleep with her and make a child with her (no matter for love or prophecy or both or whatever reason) 

There is already a fallacy here. One of major reasons people criticize Rhaegar was the decision to elope with Lyanna, and you give us no choice in that part. Rhaegar must have understood that, politically, having an affair with Lyanna can bring far more harm than good and refrained from it.

I say, forget about that stupid prophecy (that turned out incorrect, anyway) and focus on more pressing matters - namely deposing Aerys.

[TimJames]

There is already a fallacy here. One of major reasons people criticize Rhaegar was the decision to elope with Lyanna, and you give us no choice in that part. Rhaegar must have understood that, politically, having an affair with Lyanna can bring far more harm than good and refrained from it.

Yep. The best thing Rhaegar could have done was keep it in his pants.

[Kaibaman]

Wasn't Elia in on the whole elopment? I thought she and Rhargar they needed to fulfill prophecy so she was fine with her husband trying to have a child with another woman. If that were the case then I would convince Elia to join the Silent Sisters so that it would free him up to marry Lyanna. This should all be done before the tourney at Harrenhal and when that day comes I will not just crown Lyanna Queen of love and beauty but also openly propose marriage to her.

[purple-eyes]

Wasn't Elia in on the whole elopment? I thought she and Rhargar they needed to fulfill prophecy so she was fine with her husband trying to have a child with another woman. If that were the case then I would convince Elia to join the Silent Sisters so that it would free him up to marry Lyanna. This should all be done before the tourney at Harrenhal and when that day comes I will not just crown Lyanna Queen of love and beauty but also openly propose marriage to her.

but she is still long engaged to Robert. 

Betroth seems to be a very important oath too in westeros. You need to deal with this firstly. 

[kimim]

Wasn't Elia in on the whole elopment? I thought she and Rhargar they needed to fulfill prophecy so she was fine with her husband trying to have a child with another woman. If that were the case then I would convince Elia to join the Silent Sisters so that it would free him up to marry Lyanna. This should all be done before the tourney at Harrenhal and when that day comes I will not just crown Lyanna Queen of love and beauty but also openly propose marriage to her.

There's no evidence that Elia was in on the elopement at all; there's no evidence that she okayed it, would have been happy with it. None. Also, in on it or not, why on earth should she join the Silent Sisters? To make Rhaegar's life more convenient, she's supposed to go from being the crown princess to a life of silence where she spends her time defleshing dead bodies?????????