Rhaegars orders for Gerold, Arthur and Oswell at the Tower of Joy.

[Macgregor of the North]

I have been thinking of the Kingsguard at the tower of Joy and how it's always pointed out they were protecting the future King etc. 

After myself and @Rhaenys_Targaryen recently worked together on a Roberts rebellion timeline which we feel we came very close to(for the most part) an accurate timeline, I have been thinking of the Kingsguard Rhaegar leaves at the ToJ.

We pinned the sack of Kings Landing down as September 283AC.

Jons birth at the ToJ was either September or October 283AC.

Rhaegars death on the Trident had to have been before September, possibly late August? Then Neds forces head to Kings Landing to find the sack having happened.

So, quite some time before this even, Rhaegar had to have been found by Gerold Hightower at the ToJ, and Rhaegar had to have returned likely around the middle of the year 283AC to train the levies from the Crownlands for battle.

So when Rhaegar returns to KL. he leaves the three Kingsguard there with pregnant Lyanna. At this point in time, I'm assuming Rhaegar still believes his son Aegon to be the prince that was promised as he has since his conception-birth due to the comet, and Aegon is still alive In fine health, as well as Rhaenys and also the actual King Aerys. All are well when Rhaegar returns to KL to Marshall his army. 

I believe Rhaegar was looking for the third head to the dragon as per the prophecy, which is why he chose Lyanna as he hoped she would give him the third head to accompany Rhaenys and Aegon. It is reasonable to assume he was hoping for a girl to name her Visenya to mirror Aegon the conqueror and his sisters.

So what I'm getting at is when Rhaegar gives Gerold, Arthur and Oswell their orders of protection, we can only assume he is basically telling them to protect the fulfilment of the prophecy the Targaryens believe in yeah?They are protecting the third head of the dragon, not the future king, as nobody knows Lyanna is carrying a boy. It's not until much much later after Rhaegar gives his orders that the Kingsguard could find this out.

Of course, we could insert some possibilities here such as Rhaegar possibly knew he was having a son somehow by this time and that he would be his heir to the throne should himself, his father, or his other children came to harm. 

The way I believe this could possibly have happened is if the Ghost of high heart/Summerhall theories are true and she maybe could have told Rhaegar he would have a son with his wolfmaid? I am actually a believer in those theories that Rhaegar spent time with the woods witch/GoHH and he wrote her Jenny's song etc at Summerhall and she possibly could have told Rhaegar all manner of cryptic things he may have interpreted to mean he was having a boy.

But.

If this hasn't happened though, and which we can't confirm, then we must assume that Rhaegar does indeed still believe his son Aegon is the PtwP and that he is leaving the Kingsguard to protect the third head of the Dragon and fulfilment of the prophecy these Targaryens have so closely followed. 

So In short. Rhaegar, who is deep into prophecy, told the Kingsguard to protect the third head of the Dragon Rhaegar believes will fulfill a heavily Targaryen involved prophecy.

[Makk]

8 minutes ago, Macgregor of the North said:

At this point in time, I'm assuming Rhaegar still believes his son Aegon to be the prince that was promised as he has since his conception-birth due to the comet, and Aegon is still alive In fine health, as well as Rhaenys and also the actual King Aerys. All are well when Rhaegar returns to KL to Marshall his army. 

I believe Rhaegar was looking for the third head to the dragon as per the prophecy, which is why he chose Lyanna as he hoped she would give him the third head to accompany Rhaenys and Aegon. It is reasonable to assume he was hoping for a girl to name her Visenya to mirror Aegon the conqueror and his sisters.

Although I agree it was most likely about prophecy, I don't agree with this assumption. I think Rhaegar has realised that he was wrong, not for the first time, and that Aegon was not the prince that was promised, most likely to do with not meeting the pact of ice and fire. He almost certainly picked Lyanna to meet those conditions. And that explains why he left three members of the kingsguard there, Jon was arguably protected better than Aegon and would have escaped if Ned hadn't been tipped off or if Lyanna had been healthy enough to travel.

[LiveFirstDieLater]

I believe Gerold Hightower (and the other members of his Kingsguard) stayed at the Tower of Joy because a son had already been born there, and Rhaegar intended to remove Areys from power (cause he was mad) but he wanted to do so peacefully.

Lyanna would then give birth to her second baby (same timeframe from tourney to tower that Elia had two kids) a girl, she dies giving birth... Ned takes the older boy and sends the blonde girl into exile.

just a little tinfoil though...

[cgrav]

I'm really warming up to this theory that Daenerys was born at the ToJ, even if Jon was also found there.

It would explain:
1) Why Dany is so much younger than Viserys

2) The conspicuously exactly 9 month gap between Dany and Jon's births

3) Why Lyanna died after childbirth, despite being described a fierce and strong

4) Ned's outsize reaction to the plot to assassinate Dany

5) Ned's fever dreams about ToJ, specifically his "broken promiseS"

Now, #4 is often chalked up to Ned's honor and principles, but the first time we see him, he's killing someone, and he killed his own personal heroes at ToJ. He stuck with Robert even after the killing of Rheagar's other children. His past clearly shows he understands and accepts innocent life as a cost of order and honor. 

 I feel like his reaction was over the top, especially considering the [politically] very solid case for assassinating her. Remember that Catelyn recalls the only time Ned ever got frighteningly angry was when she asked about Jon's mother. Talk of assassinating Daenerys seems to trigger him similarly. 

------


With regard to the Kings Guard, I've thought about this and concluded that more people had to be aware of the fact that an heir would be at the Tower of Joy. If they were there for the entirety of Lyanna's pregnancy/ies, certainly anyone back in Kings Landing would have noticed. As if Varys wouldn't have known something was up, with the three best KG being sent away from the King and the Prince in the middle of a war? Highly conspicuous. 

Could Rheagar have given them instructions to go there in the event of his own death? I've often wondered if Rheagar didn't plan on dying at the Trident. He talked to Jaime about his plans for after the war, yes, but he was also way into prophecy and might have believed that his death would somehow be necessary to fulfill it.

No matter what, this requires several people - most of them now conveniently dead - knowing that someone NOT in King's Landing was due the protection of the King's Guard's best.

[Universal Sword Donor]

9 minutes ago, cgrav said:

I'm really warming up to this theory that Daenerys was born at the ToJ, even if Jon was also found there.

It would explain:
1) Why Dany is so much younger than Viserys

2) The conspicuously exactly 9 month gap between Dany and Jon's births

3) Why Lyanna died after childbirth, despite being described a fierce and strong

4) Ned's outsize reaction to the plot to assassinate Dany

5) Ned's fever dreams about ToJ, specifically his "broken promiseS"
 

1) He was born in 276. Dany was born in 282, 283.

2) It's not exact: All of which is a long winded way of saying, no, Jon was not born "more than 1 year" before Dany... probably closer to eight or nine months or thereabouts.

3) Mother mortality is exceedingly common in the middle ages. We have numerous examples related in the books, Joanna Lannister and Minisa Tully being two obvious, prominent examples.

4) Ned doesn't think it's a big deal to throw the Dothraki back and doesn't want to kill a child, no more than he did in RR with Rhaenys and Aegon.

5) It's a fever dream................................................................................................................................................................................................

[cgrav]

1) That's my mistake, I was thinking of Rheagar. Dany is young enough to be Rheagar's daugher, and having different fathers would explain why she and Viserys are so different in character. 
2) Looks like the timeline accommodates
3) Frequency of pregnancy being among the causes of birth mortality. Wouldn't call it unusual to die during a first childbirth, but back to back childbirths would certainly make it more likely.
4) Impressions are subjective, but I see his reaction as being unexpectedly strong
5) Dreams aren't throwaway information, and this one in particular is one of the few sources of information about ToJ. It's very typical that dreams are more reliable than the POV narrators who have them.

I'm not going to hang my hat on anything without actual textual support, and I'll admit that this is doesn't have much, but I don't see anything that rules it out. There's room for it. Dany's "red door" and lemon tree memories strongly hint at an as yet unknown location very early in her life, with Dorne being the prime suspect.

[Macgregor of the North]

9 hours ago, Makk said:

Although I agree it was most likely about prophecy, I don't agree with this assumption. I think Rhaegar has realised that he was wrong, not for the first time, and that Aegon was not the prince that was promised, most likely to do with not meeting the pact of ice and fire. He almost certainly picked Lyanna to meet those conditions. And that explains why he left three members of the kingsguard there, Jon was arguably protected better than Aegon and would have escaped if Ned hadn't been tipped off or if Lyanna had been healthy enough to travel.

The thing with this is that if we go by Danys vision. Which I believe 100% to be Rhaegar with Elia and Aegon, this means he still believed Aegon was the Prince that was promised when he was born. Which was at the end of/turn of 281/282AC.

Danys Vision:
"He is the prince that was promised, and his is the song of ice and fire." He looked up when he said it and his eyes met Dany's, and it seemed as if he saw her standing there beyond the door. "There must be one more," he said, though whether he was speaking to her or the woman in the bed she could not say. "The dragon has three heads." 

This is actually a few months after the Tourney at Harrenhal and Rhaegar 'choosing' Lyanna'. So he can't have changed his mind before this to choose Lyanna. 

Basically, even after choosing Lyanna to birth the third head of the Dragon, Rhaegar still believes(wrongly of course!) that his son Aegon is the Prince that was promised.

[Macgregor of the North]

@LiveFirstDieLater @cgrav

 

So in this situation you guys have Rhaella shipped off to Dragonstone with Viserys, not with Dany inside her belly though?

Then Rhaella later gives birth to who? A stillbirth? Why does Viserys hold it against Dany that SHE killed his mother in the birthing bed, if she was just an exiled offspring of Lyanna and Rhaegar? 

"She had been born on Dragonstone nine moons after their flight, while a raging summer storm threatened to rip the island fastness apart. They said that storm was terrible. The Targaryen fleet was smashed while it lay at anchor, and huge stone blocks were ripped from the parapets and sent hurtling into the wild waters of the narrow sea. Her mother had died birthing her, and for that her brother Viserys had never forgiven her."

If we have Dany exiled, then that means Viserys meets her later yeah? That's the way it would have went down. Why does he meet this mysterious little girl and lay the blame with her for killing their mother?. 

Viserys contempt for Dany is real. It's not some act to deceive Dany into thinking she is his sister, he lacks the skill for that. The man is a fool. He is like this with Dany because he knows for a fact HIS mother died birthing HER. He was like 9 years old at the time. He knows what was going on, I said he was a fool, but not blind.

Also, Dany was named by her mother, did Lyanna name her Daenerys?

Promise me Ned, promise me! Take.... my son, name him what you want just raise him as your own. But exile my daughter Daenerys, promise me.

[Lord Varys]

11 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

I have been thinking of the Kingsguard at the tower of Joy and how it's always pointed out they were protecting the future King etc.

The idea that we have them there because of magic and prophecy was always an option, too. Certain people who like to overemphasize their view of the Kingsguard tend to make everything about claims and crowns but considering Whent and Dayne's closeness to Rhaegar it is actually very likely that they protected Lyanna and her unborn child because they either believed whatever Rhaegar believed or because they followed Rhaegar's beliefs out of respect/friendship for him.

And even Ser Gerold Hightower might have bought the prophecy stuff. I mean, the man was already in the Kingsguard when Aegon V died at Summerhall. He may have witnessed the Ghost's original prophecy about Aerys and Rhaella's line bringing forth the promised prince.

11 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

So when Rhaegar returns to KL. he leaves the three Kingsguard there with pregnant Lyanna. At this point in time, I'm assuming Rhaegar still believes his son Aegon to be the prince that was promised as he has since his conception-birth due to the comet, and Aegon is still alive In fine health, as well as Rhaenys and also the actual King Aerys. All are well when Rhaegar returns to KL to Marshall his army.

I'm with you that it is pretty likely that Rhaegar still believed Aegon was the promised prince at this time simply because he was fixated on this comet thing. Comets don't show up every day in Martinworld. And as of yet we know that Rhaegar believed - for some reason possibly connected to the text of the prophecy he read - that there had to be three heads of the dragon. And we also know that Elia Martell could no longer have children after Aegon's birth. That in itself is more than enough motivation for Rhaegar to search for a new mother for the third dragon head. We have no reason to assume he had to change his mind about the promised prince to feel compelled to father a third child nor is there any reason to assume that Lyanna was chosen because of some weird ice-and-fire symbolism. What we know about Harrenhal suggests that Rhaegar and Lyanna fell in love there, before Rhaegar could even be sure that Aegon was the promised prince (because at that time he had yet to be born). And if you are in love with somebody and you feel compelled to have another child you most likely want your love to be the mother of that child.

11 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

I believe Rhaegar was looking for the third head to the dragon as per the prophecy, which is why he chose Lyanna as he hoped she would give him the third head to accompany Rhaenys and Aegon. It is reasonable to assume he was hoping for a girl to name her Visenya to mirror Aegon the conqueror and his sisters.

I'm not with you on that one. I don't think Rhaegar thought that the three dragon heads had to mimic Aegon and his sister-wives. I think that Aegon and his sister-wives and the Targaryen banner made during their days actually mimics the ancient prophecy involving the promised prince and the three dragon heads. It is clear that this prophecy is far older than the Conquest and there are subtle clues that Aegon I himself might have believed at one point that he and his sisters were destined to fulfill that prophecy. It is mainly the fact that Aegon's favorite place was Dragonstone which was also described as having the smoke and salt qualities the prophecy demands of the birthplace for the promised prince. This would also explain why Aegon chose to conquer Westeros in the first place. He had figured out that the prophecy referred to Westeros, too, and that to fulfill it he had to become the ruler of this land.

Aemon makes it appear as if the fact that the promised prince could be a woman was a revolutionary new insight. I don't think that would have been the case if it had been a widely accepted consensus that two of the dragon heads were thought to have been female all along. I also don't think that Aemon and Rhaegar were aware that the Conqueror might have thought he and his sisters were fulfilling the prophecy. I'm not sure such a knowledge was passed down throughout the generations - Maegor's terror regime leading to the deaths of Aegon's eldest grandchildren as well as the royal bloodletting during the Dance should have ensured that a lot of knowledge would have been lost and had to be rediscovered later on.

Thus I think Viserys is a much better candidate to be the second dragon head in Rhaegar's mind - just as he is a great candidate to be the promised prince in Aerys' mind. Think about it. Aerys and Rhaella were forced to marry each other because of prophecy. They were the ones raising Rhaegar in the belief that he was destined to fulfill a prophecy because their father had told them so. While Aerys and Rhaella had only one living child Rhaegar was the best candidate for the promised prince out there. But once Viserys was born and lived and Aerys' relationship with his heir became strained he might have very well concluded that his ingrate son could not possibly be some sort of prophesied savior.

If Rhaegar thought Viserys was the second head one would assume he was hoping the get another son from Lyanna.

11 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

So what I'm getting at is when Rhaegar gives Gerold, Arthur and Oswell their orders of protection, we can only assume he is basically telling them to protect the fulfilment of the prophecy the Targaryens believe in yeah?They are protecting the third head of the dragon, not the future king, as nobody knows Lyanna is carrying a boy. It's not until much much later after Rhaegar gives his orders that the Kingsguard could find this out.

Depending on Rhaegar's legal status at the time as he gives those speculative orders (we don't yet know that he gave such orders, George speaks hypothetically in the SSM) he might not even have explained the reasoning behind them. If the men were bound to obey they might have done so even without an explanation. Protecting an (unborn) royal prince was something the Kingsguard had done in the past.

But Rhaegar could very well have explained his reason behind such an order (or such a request - he could have very well asked or begged the knights at the tower to do as he asked them).

11 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

The way I believe this could possibly have happened is if the Ghost of high heart/Summerhall theories are true and she maybe could have told Rhaegar he would have a son with his wolfmaid? I am actually a believer in those theories that Rhaegar spent time with the woods witch/GoHH and he wrote her Jenny's song etc at Summerhall and she possibly could have told Rhaegar all manner of cryptic things he may have interpreted to mean he was having a boy.

I'm not so inclined to believe that the Ghost had all the answers. But I find the idea plausible that Rhaegar might have looked for before he made the decision to abduct Lyanna. Considering that Rhaegar and Lyanna did not follow their hearts at Harrenhal - or if they had an affair back then they had the strength of character to actually end it - there is a good chance that Rhaegar wanted to be sure that the mother of the third dragon head should be Lyanna before he went through with such a mad and dangerous idea. He must have been very aware of the political situation at the time and how his father and the Starks/Baratheons might react to such a move.

Thus I've no problem with the assumption that the Ghost reassured or even convinced Rhaegar to go through with the Lyanna idea. However, this doesn't mean she was able to find out or confirm what role Rhaegar's child by Lyanna would play in the story. It could very well have been enough to confirm to Rhaegar that such a child would play an important role in the future.

Back in the days of Jaehaerys II the Ghost was not able to pin down the heritage of the promised prince exactly. There is no reason to believe she could do this twenty years later.

[Macgregor of the North]

40 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

I'm not with you on that one. I don't think Rhaegar thought that the three dragon heads had to mimic Aegon and his sister-wives.

Its not something im dead set on, and im not sure if we could ever have it confirmed Rhaegar was aiming to name his three children after his ancestors. I do mention its 'reasonable to assume' that Rhaegar had Aegon and his sisters in mind while naming his children since he has named two of them after the conquerors of old so far. It seems like a pattern was emerging and if Rhaegar, Aegon and Rhaenys had lived and Jon was a girl it wouldnt surprise me if he would have named the child Visenya to mirror the conqueror and his sisters.

[Macgregor of the North]

@Lord Varys when thinking on the GoHH. I actually think she could possibly have told Rhaegar before Harrenhal about a wolfmaid with flowers in her hair just like her Jenny. This is how Rhaegar comes to assume Lyanna like blue winter roses, which he presents her with after winning the jousts. 

I just have a feeling the GoHH was the one who gave the information to Rhaegar of a wolfmaid who liked blue winter roses, and when he seen her at Harrenhal he immediately knew she was the one the GoHH spoke of and he planned to declare his desire for her, and secure her as the mother of the third head. 

At the turn of the year 281/282AC Rhaegar seemed to still believe Aegon was the PtwP as per Danys vision. He leaves Dragonstone and ends up at the Riverlands again to meet Lyanna at a pre arranged spot on a certain date. I believe this is all motivated on Rhaegars part, to create the third Dragon head. 

I don't doubt Rhaegar grew to love Lyanna as she loved him but at first I think Rhaegar was motivated more by prophecy than love.

[Macgregor of the North]

@Lord Varys

The only thing i think could explain the Kingsguard treating Lyannas child in her belly as a future King etc is if Rhaegar had visited the GOHH again before he met Lyanna in the Riverlands. As in after Aegons birth Rhaegar still believes he is the PTWP, then he leaves on a journey that will 'ultimately' see him return to the Riverlands.

If he met the GOHH again one more time before meeting Lyanna and exchanged Jennys song for one more dream, then possibly the GOHH could have told him of some more importance involving Lyannas child, even possibly that it was to be a male or future King? Who knows.

But that is the only way i can see the argument of the Kingsguard staying there to protect a future King. Any other way is surely just Rhaegar ordering them to protect the third head of the Dragon as per Rhaegars involvement with prophecy.   

[Noel E Mahc]

7 hours ago, cgrav said:

 I feel like his reaction was over the top, especially considering the [politically] very solid case for assassinating her. Remember that Catelyn recalls the only time Ned ever got frighteningly angry was when she asked about Jon's mother. Talk of assassinating Daenerys seems to trigger him similarly. 

I feel the same way too. 

[Lord Varys]

1 hour ago, Macgregor of the North said:

Its not something im dead set on, and im not sure if we could ever have it confirmed Rhaegar was aiming to name his three children after his ancestors. I do mention its 'reasonable to assume' that Rhaegar had Aegon and his sisters in mind while naming his children since he has named two of them after the conquerors of old so far. It seems like a pattern was emerging and if Rhaegar, Aegon and Rhaenys had lived and Jon was a girl it wouldnt surprise me if he would have named the child Visenya to mirror the conqueror and his sisters.

I was on board with this whole thing for a long time but both the hints that Aegon himself might have mimicked himself and his sister-wives after the prophecy as well as the revelations about Visenya's dark deeds make it rather unlikely that Aegon would have named any of his children after her. There is reason why no living Targaryen child was ever named after Queen Visenya whereas Rhaenys remained popular throughout the ages.

The name Viserys seems to be the male form of Visenya (Prince Aenys apparently named his first child Rhaena after his mother, Rhaenys, his first son after his father, Aegon, and his second son Viserys after his aunt and stepmother, Visenya) but later on when Jaehaerys I had thirteen children not one of them was named Visenya. The girl named Viserra and Baelon's son Viserys later on were named so in honor of Jaehaerys' brother who was cruelly tortured and killed on the command of Visenya's son Maegor.

In fact, if I had to guess a daughter of Rhaegar and Lyanna would most likely have been named after Lyanna, either in that version or in a variation of the name.

1 hour ago, Macgregor of the North said:

@Lord Varys when thinking on the GoHH. I actually think she could possibly have told Rhaegar before Harrenhal about a wolfmaid with flowers in her hair just like her Jenny. This is how Rhaegar comes to assume Lyanna like blue winter roses, which he presents her with after winning the jousts. 

I just have a feeling the GoHH was the one who gave the information to Rhaegar of a wolfmaid who liked blue winter roses, and when he seen her at Harrenhal he immediately knew she was the one the GoHH spoke of and he planned to declare his desire for her, and secure her as the mother of the third head. 

At the turn of the year 281/282AC Rhaegar seemed to still believe Aegon was the PtwP as per Danys vision. He leaves Dragonstone and ends up at the Riverlands again to meet Lyanna at a pre arranged spot on a certain date. I believe this is all motivated on Rhaegars part, to create the third Dragon head. 

I don't doubt Rhaegar grew to love Lyanna as she loved him but at first I think Rhaegar was motivated more by prophecy than love.

I don't think this is very likely because the carefully crafted hints we get throughout the books - especially the story of the Knight of the Laughing Tree from ASoS - hint at some sort of a love story being at the heart of this mystery, not some determination to fulfill a prophecy.

It would cheapen the love story angle if Rhaegar was just 'fulfilling prophecy' by falling in love with Lyanna. Not to mention that the KotLT story strongly suggests Prince Rhaegar only realized that Lyanna Stark existed after he investigated the whole mystery knight thing on his father's orders. That was what brought Rhaegar and Lyanna together, not some prophecy.

This is also the main reason I think the 'ice and fire part' a lot of people project into the Rhaegar-Lyanna thing was never a part of the prophecy Rhaegar read. The Song of Ice and Fire was never seen or interpreted as a Stark-Targaryen union. Else Rhaegar would have much earlier realized that and perhaps insisted his father search for a bride for among the daughters of House Stark.

But the strongest hint I see in favor of view is the fact that Yandel indicates Rhaegar went on a quest of sorts that eventually lead him back to the Riverlands when he left Dragonstone after the birth of Prince Aegon. I'm with you that he might have searched for the Ghost on this quest (or some other seer/prophet) but if he did then this had no impact on him falling in love with Lyanna - because that clearly happened at Harrenhal, before Aegon's birth and his quest with his six companions.

But it is entirely possible that Rhaegar's feelings for Lyanna influenced both the questions he had for the Ghost (if he found her) as well as his interpretations of the answers he got.

If he received any prophecies/guidance from the Ghost or a similar figure it would most definitely be cryptic stuff, difficult to interpret. My personal guess is that he draw the wrong conclusions, explaining his confidence he would actually defeat Robert at the Trident (which we can see in Jaime's memory of his last conversation with Rhaegar).

The idea that Rhaegar would have gotten clearer answers than Cersei when she asked Maggy doesn't make much sense to me. Not in this series.

1 hour ago, Macgregor of the North said:

@Lord Varys

The only thing i think could explain the Kingsguard treating Lyannas child in her belly as a future King etc is if Rhaegar had visited the GOHH again before he met Lyanna in the Riverlands. As in after Aegons birth Rhaegar still believes he is the PTWP, then he leaves on a journey that will 'ultimately' see him return to the Riverlands.

If he met the GOHH again one more time before meeting Lyanna and exchanged Jennys song for one more dream, then possibly the GOHH could have told him of some more importance involving Lyannas child, even possibly that it was to be a male or future King? Who knows.

But that is the only way i can see the argument of the Kingsguard staying there to protect a future King. Any other way is surely just Rhaegar ordering them to protect the third head of the Dragon as per Rhaegars involvement with prophecy.   

Well, the thing is that they would be perfectly justified to protect just a prince of the blood or a potential heir to the throne. Just as Thorne and Fell did during the Dance, or other Kingsguard did all the time when they were protecting rather remote heirs to the throne like Aegon the Unworthy (while Aegon III was still king) or Maekar and his sons in THK.

[Macgregor of the North]

16 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

Well, the thing is that they would be perfectly justified to protect just a prince of the blood or a potential heir to the throne. Just as Thorne and Fell did during the Dance, or other Kingsguard did all the time when they were protecting rather remote heirs to the throne like Aegon the Unworthy (while Aegon III was still king) or Maekar and his sons in THK.

Im with this in regards to it going a long way to debunking the idea that Jon was already born so the Kingsguard were staying there to protect a future King etc etc.

I think they were there to protect the third head of the Dragon in Lyannas belly as Rhaegar was very very heavy into prophecy and his friends/the KG were on board with that.

As you have pointed out though, Rhaegar could easily have just told them to protect one of the Royal blood. Although i must admit,i sway toward the third head/prophecy part if im honest.

I do not for one second believe that Jon was already born and Lyanna was pregnant with Dany, and will easily debate this with the other posters if needed.

When i have more time i will address the rest of your post LV. 

[Macgregor of the North]

23 minutes ago, Lord Varys said:

I don't think this is very likely because the carefully crafted hints we get throughout the books - especially the story of the Knight of the Laughing Tree from ASoS - hint at some sort of a love story being at the heart of this mystery, not some determination to fulfill a prophecy

I'll be back to talk more on this but remember, Rhaegar was remembered by none other than Barristan as one determined hombre. And we know he was heavy into his prophecy.

Barristan:

"The old man considered a moment. "Able. That above all. Determined, deliberate, dutiful, single-minded."

This speaks volumes i think. And i am not saying he never had affection for Lyanna or grew to really love her but at the very beginning i think it was prophecy motivated for the third head. 

[Lurid Jester]

6 hours ago, Macgregor of the North said:

  Basically, even after choosing Lyanna to birth the third head of the Dragon, Rhaegar still believes(wrongly of course!) that his son Aegon is the Prince that was promised.

Why wrong?  Why can't Jon, Dany and Aegon all be the prince/princess who was promised?  

The dragon has three heads. 

The dragon is the "prince".

The "prince" has three heads.

Jon, Dany and Aegon(?) are the "prince".

After all, he says that there must be another.  Another what?  Another Prince?  Sure. 

At least that's how I see it.  All three heads of the dragon, whomever they end up being, are each the prophesied "Prince", and theirs is the song of ice and fire.  

 

[Macgregor of the North]

54 minutes ago, Lurid Jester said:

Why wrong?  Why can't Jon, Dany and Aegon all be the prince/princess who was promised?  

The dragon has three heads. 

The dragon is the "prince".

The "prince" has three heads.

Jon, Dany and Aegon(?) are the "prince".

After all, he says that there must be another.  Another what?  Another Prince?  Sure. 

At least that's how I see it.  All three heads of the dragon, whomever they end up being, are each the prophesied "Prince", and theirs is the song of ice and fire.  

 

Wrong because I believe Aegon and his sister were brutally killed. His only child left in the world, Jon, is of course still in the running however to be a part of this prophecy though.

[Lurid Jester]

13 minutes ago, Macgregor of the North said:

Wrong because I believe Aegon and his sister were brutally killed. His only child left in the world, Jon, is of course still in the running however to be a part of this prophecy though.

That's the thing though, he was trying to influence the prophecy and could very well have been interpreting it wrong. We have ample evidence that when trying to influence or to avoid prophecy doesn't work (Mel, Cersie, Summerhall, etc).

I just don't understand why everyone thinks it will be just one person. The Targ sigil is a three headed dragon but everyone knows it represents three dragons. 

So if the Prince is a dragon with three heads, how is that not saying that the Prince is actually three people?  Each fulfilling the requirements of the prophecy. 

Also, who ever said that they had to be Rhaegar's kids?  Just that they would be of Aerys and Rhaella's line. Sure Aegon is still a question mark, but my point was less about him being one of the heads and more about all three of the eventual heads also each being a Prince who was promised. 

[Macgregor of the North]

2 hours ago, Lord Varys said:

In fact, if I had to guess a daughter of Rhaegar and Lyanna would most likely have been named after Lyanna, either in that version or in a variation of the name.

I shall respectfully disagree LV. I think theres every chance Rhaegar would have named a daughter of himself and Lyanna Stark Visenya had it been a girl.

Visenya who was as much a warrior as Aegon. Skilled with Dark sister. Visenya who had a harsh beauty some said. Well you could actually just imagine Rhaegar looking upon this Northern girl with a wild beauty about her and wondering if it was actually meant to be that she give him the third head of the Dragon. And the more time he spent with her he would have grown to know she shared similarities with Visenya. Skilled with a sword also, a warrior at heart likely. I think it likely that he would have jumped at the chance to name their girl Visenya to go with the Aegon and Rhaenys he already had.

Alas, Jon was a boy so it is meaningless discussion here, fun though to speculate.