What did Eddard want to do with Rhaegar's children?

[Lee-Sensei]

Did he want to send them to go to Sunspear?

[Trigger Warning]

I wouldn't be surprised if Night's Watch and Silent Sisters or some other aspect of the faith were on the cards. He might not have killed them but I doubt he'd let them live under the wing of any lord let alone the Prince of Dorne. Letting them live is risky enough, doing that is practically begging for rebellion. 

[Ylath's Snout]

I don't think he had some grand plan. I don't think he'd sendiveither Rhaenys or Aegon to Dorne. Seems like a surefire way to ensure a pro-targ rebellion down the line. Maybe several Martell/Dorenish hostages to Robert could work but I wouldn't bet on it.

My guess: Raise them with different loyal lords, have Aegon take the black when he is 13-4 and marry Rhaenys to Robert's son for extra legitimacy.

[Damsel in Distress]

It would not go over well for Aegon and Rhaenys.  Eddard might not want to harm the children but he would not want them to threaten Robert's rule.  Aegon would be forced to take the black and Rhaenys would be married off to a minor house.  Maybe even a hedge knight who cannot raise the army to take back the throne.  For that reason, I have no sympathy for the houses that rebelled.  The Baratheons, Starks, and Tullys should be removed from power and demoted to minor house status.  Oh wait, they already are, sort of.  

 

[Giant Ice Spider]

Agree that Aegon would be forced to take the black, though I'll add that I think Ned would want him to be fostered at Winterfell until he came of age.

Vis-à-vis Rhaenys, I don't think he would be so keen on the silent sisters, being a northerner. However, I do think he'd OK with Rhaenys staying at court and being wed to Robert's son (I was about to write Joffrey and then I remembered, oh yeah, he isn't Robert's).

[Lee-Sensei]

2 hours ago, Ylath's Snout said:

I don't think he had some grand plan. I don't think he'd sendiveither Rhaenys or Aegon to Dorne. Seems like a surefire way to ensure a pro-targ rebellion down the line. Maybe several Martell/Dorenish hostages to Robert could work but I wouldn't bet on it.

My guess: Raise them with different loyal lords, have Aegon take the black when he is 13-4 and marry Rhaenys to Robert's son for extra legitimacy.

Eh? Robert hates the Targs.

[Giant Ice Spider]

8 minutes ago, Lee-Sensei said:

Eh? Robert hates the Targs.

I think he would listen to Ned and Jon Arryn if that was what they suggested. He'd fume about it constantly, and I doubt Rhaenys would have a pleasant upbringing at court, but he would agree.

[Lee-Sensei]

11 minutes ago, Giant Ice Spider said:

I think he would listen to Ned and Jon Arryn if that was what they suggested. He'd fume about it constantly, and I doubt Rhaenys would have a pleasant upbringing at court, but he would agree.

Doubtful. He thought (correctly) that they were predisposed towards insanity.

[Ylath's Snout]

42 minutes ago, Lee-Sensei said:

Eh? Robert hates the Targs.

Sure he does, that doesn't mean hijacking Targaryen legitimacy with a Rhaenys-Joff match doesn't make political sense.

[Lee-Sensei]

18 minutes ago, Ylath's Snout said:

Sure he does, that doesn't mean hijacking Targaryen legitimacy with a Rhaenys-Joff match doesn't make political sense.

It makes sense politically, however he wouldn't do it.

[Ylath's Snout]

5 minutes ago, Lee-Sensei said:

It makes sense politically, however he wouldn't do it.

Sure but your question was "what did Ned want to do with the kids" and that is the best solution I can come up with from Ned's point-of-view.

What happened in the books is pretty much the best Robert could have hoped for, the kids are ead and a threat to his future dynasty is removed. The only way it could have been better was if Aerys had killed them himself.

[Lord Varys]

An infant cannot really take the black. Prince Aegon could have been made a ward of the Crown which was handed to the Faith to be raised to become a septon. Considering the Great Sept is in KL that wouldn't have been that big of a risk. Sure, problems could have come from that later in life, but not necessarily.

If Robert hadn't bloodied his throne to the extent that he did - not punishing the murderer of Aerys II and allowing the murder of the children to go unpunished - the remaining Targaryen loyalists (especially the Martells) wouldn't have had that great an issue with the new Baratheon regime.

And Princess Rhaenys (or Daenerys) would have been ideally suited to be married to Robert's heir, just like Jaehaera married Aegon III.

[Giant Ice Spider]

2 hours ago, Lee-Sensei said:

Doubtful. He thought (correctly) that they were predisposed towards insanity.

I can't find the quote, but in ACoK Renly tells Cat that, if it weren't for Jon Arryn, Robert would have had Dany & Viserys killed years ago. Rhaenys & Aegon, unlike Viserys & Dany, were Rhaegar's children, and that would contribute some to Robert's decision.

Besides, the Lannisters proved Robert can be convinced to do all sorts of things.

[Megorova]

Most likely, Ned didn't planned, what will be after the war, even in bigger picture, not to mention smaller details, like what to do with the remaining royal family. What could be the proof of this option, is that after the Sack of King's Landing, Ned went to Stormlands, and did nothing about Queen Rhaella and Viserys. He let Robert to seize power, and left him to do whatever Robert wanted, including to decide fate of remaining Targaryens. Ned didn't cared, what will happen with them. For him, the reason for the Rebellion, was to avenge death of his father and brother, and to find his sister.

Though if we will ignore the fact, that Ned wasn't interested in further fate of those children, same as in fate of Rhaella and Viserys, and that also it wasn't his place to decide, what to do with them, then, knowing Ned, the most generous option - he probably would have brought Rhaella, Elia, and their children to Wintefell, and made them part of Stark household, or arranged for all of them, including Jon, to migrate to Essos, where they will be safe from Robert; and more realistic option - Night's Watch for boys, and Silent Sisters for girls and their mothers (if Rhaella had survived). 

But mostly I think, that Ned didn't cared. He was indiferent, what will happen with those children. Obviously, that he became angry, with Tywin killing them, and Robert just ignoring it. Though during the Sack of King's Landing, hundreds, if not thousands of women and children were killed by Lannister troops, and even more people died in course of the Rebellion, and Ned wasn't bothered by it. Ned saved Jon from Robert, only because Jon was Lyanna's child. So with other Targaryens, he wouldn't have cared what will happen with them, as long as he wasn't part of it. Fate of Viserys and Daenerys, their departure to Essos, is a good example, that Ned wasn't bothered with those children being killed, or exiled, or whatever. He let Robert decide, what he wants to do with them, and just left to seach Lyanna, that's all he cared about.

Also I think, that we, readers, are just too bored, and think too much, of what this or that character would have done, in this or that circumstances, while those characters themselves, aside from Varys and Littlefinger, rarely think thru, what they should or would do, they just do, and then reap, what they sow.

[Lee-Sensei]

1 hour ago, Giant Ice Spider said:

I can't find the quote, but in ACoK Renly tells Cat that, if it weren't for Jon Arryn, Robert would have had Dany & Viserys killed years ago. Rhaenys & Aegon, unlike Viserys & Dany, were Rhaegar's children, and that would contribute some to Robert's decision.

Besides, the Lannisters proved Robert can be convinced to do all sorts of things.

Convincing him to kill Targs is very different from getting his son to marry one.

[Giant Ice Spider]

30 minutes ago, Lee-Sensei said:

Convincing him to kill Targs is very different from getting his son to marry one.

We can agree to disagree.

[The Lord of the Crossing]

Eddard Stark was a good man.  Too bad his children didn't inherit his goodness.  I admit this even though I dislike his family.  However, there is little choice in the matter.  Robert would have had those children murdered.  He may do it behind Eddard's back but do it he would have.  Eddard may suspect it and attempt to talk Robert out of it but he will wash his hands, ala Pontius Pilate, and let matters take their course.   The Starks are not above slaughter.  

Viserys was exiled and had little to his name.  The Dornish still plotted to put his butt on the throne.  Then you have Varys and Illyrio plotting their games.  The only way to get Robert's reign off to a secure start is to get rid of the Targaryen children.

[The Lord of the Crossing]

2 hours ago, Giant Ice Spider said:

I can't find the quote, but in ACoK Renly tells Cat that, if it weren't for Jon Arryn, Robert would have had Dany & Viserys killed years ago. Rhaenys & Aegon, unlike Viserys & Dany, were Rhaegar's children, and that would contribute some to Robert's decision.

Besides, the Lannisters proved Robert can be convinced to do all sorts of things.

King Viserys was the biggest claimant being the rightful king but he was thankfully far away from Robert.  Aerys passed the throne to Viserys but he was no threat unless he has an army.   Elia was the least of the threat but that did not save her life.  I believe the only reason Viserys and Daenerys survived was in great part credited to the brave Ser Willem Darry.  

[Pikachu101]

Rhaenys would have been the perfect wife for Robert's son, through this marriage the Baratheon dynasty would be a lot more secure. Just like Ramsay married "Arya" in order to legitimise House Bolton as the North's liege lord. Aegon's a boy so he's a lot more dangerous, he could be kept under house arrest like Henry VII did with the Duke of Clarence's son. 

[Megorova]

1 hour ago, Lord Varys said:

An infant cannot really take the black.

Mance Rayder was raised in Night's Watch, as one of them. He was taken there, when he was still a child. Monster and Mance's newborn son did lived at Castle Black. Even if there's no wetnurse, goat milk is also an option. And maester Aemon was there, so he could have taken care of little Aegon, until he would have given his oath to Night's Watch. If he was raised at Castle Black, among other Watchers, and didn't knew, that he's a royalty, and didn't knew any other life, aside from living there, then he would have joined Night's Watch.

And they could have forced Viserys to join. They could have given him an option, to either join NW, or to be executed. Even 8 years old child would have chosen life, not death. There's no age restriction for joining NW. So Viserys could have joined NW immediately after the end of Rebellion. And they could have brought Viserys to one castle, and little Aegon to another. They could have brought them to The Wall separately. Viserys wouldn't even knew, that he's not the only Targaryen prince there.

Obviously, that other Watchers would have eventually found out, that Viserys is from Royal family. Because he himself would have told them that. But Aegon was still too little, to know who he is. So if he was brought to The Wall in secret, and general public was informed, that little Prince died from some illness, then no one would have ever suspected, who that boy at NW really is. Yes, he has silver-gold hair, and indigo eyes, so what? who cares? he would have been just another Watcher at The Wall.

Other option is to secretly give Rhaenys, Aegon and Dany either for adoption in separated families of smallfalk, without revealing their identities to foster parents, or to orphanage, and Viserys to NW.