alienarea Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 This is an odd thing that has not been explained to the best of my knowledge. Robert Baratheon is madly in love with Lyanna Stark, and still grieving when he visits Winterfell in the beginning of AGoT. Why doesn't he join Ned in searching for her after the sack of KL? Independent of a shout out with my best friend, I would search for my love, wouldn't I? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur Peres Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 The honest answer is that GRRM needed Robert away from the Tower of Joy to allow the plot going, otherwise Jon would be a stillborn by hammer. The plot convinience that allows this in the universe is that Robert was wounded at the trident and this slowed him down as he gave Ned the command over the army. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Wondering Wolf Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 Robert was hurt at the Trident, so I think he still had to recover. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenin Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 A lot of the story simply doesn't happen if Robert goes to find Lyanna. But Robert was wounded, he and Ned had a big fight and Ned didn't want him around, so he just left. Robert i suppose, would be as pissed as Ned, so he just let the south affairs to Ned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Springwatch Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 I suppose he had accepted the crown by this stage, so his allies were literally demanding his attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James Steller Posted June 13, 2020 Share Posted June 13, 2020 This makes me wonder whether Arthur Dayne could have taken on both Robert Baratheon and Ned Stark in their prime. Probably not, but for Howland Reed... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Varys Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 5 hours ago, The Wondering Wolf said: Robert was hurt at the Trident, so I think he still had to recover. That is the idea that makes the most sense. He may already have been well enough to get down to KL but not to go on some kind of dangerous manhunt. This is also supported by the fact that he didn't go with Ned to Storm's End. The other reason would be that Ned and Robert were no longer friends after their clash in the wake of the Sack, meaning that Eddard Stark didn't want the guy who was no longer his buddy accompany him on his search for his sister. They only reconciled after Lya's death ... prior to that their friendship was over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucia Targaryen Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 6 hours ago, alienarea said: This is an odd thing that has not been explained to the best of my knowledge. Robert Baratheon is madly in love with Lyanna Stark, and still grieving when he visits Winterfell in the beginning of AGoT. Why doesn't he join Ned in searching for her after the sack of KL? Independent of a shout out with my best friend, I would search for my love, wouldn't I? Robert wasn't in love with Lyanna. As Ned said, Robert never really knew her. He was in love with the idea of Lyanna. We know that Robert was still sleeping with prostitutes when he was supposed to be fighting a war to get Lyanna back. As for staying in King's Landing, Robert needed to consolidate power and I'm sure Jon Arryn told him to stay. Also I suspect Ned knew that Lyanna had gone willingly with Rhaegar. Many suspect that Benjen knew what had happened and the brothers had reunited when the Northern banners were called. The fight Ned and Robert had over the deaths of the Targaryens gave Ned an excuse to leave the capital without Robert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFDanny Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Robert isn't in King's Landing in the immediate aftermath of the sack, so he cannot participate in any search of the city or even of the Red Keep in that timeframe. When he gets to King's Landing after his wound/wounds allow him to travel, Ned has already had time to do the search and examination of witnesses that would tell him Lyanna isn't in the city, and has never been there. It is quite possible the rebels had spies not only to verify this information but to have told the rebel commanders perviously that Lyanna did not return when Rhaegar came north. The question is then when did Ned find out where she was, and if it was before he leaves King's Landing to relieve the siege at Storm's End, why did not share that information with Robert? Or if he did share it, why did not Robert come with him? Simplest answer is that Ned finds out after he leaves King's Landing. Probably from a source among the loyalist troops at Storm's End. Alternatively, Robert is too badly hurt to go, but that seems unlikely because he has already travelled from the Trident to King's Landing. I would expect the Robert we know to go after Lyanna if he knew where she was under those circumstances Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FictionIsntReal Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 3 minutes ago, SFDanny said: Robert is too badly hurt to go, but that seems unlikely because he has already travelled from the Trident to King's Landing. I would expect the Robert we know to go after Lyanna if he knew where she was under those circumstances Traveling to a known location a relatively short distance away with all enemy troops surrendered might be different to wandering around to possibly unknown locations who knows where with some possible loyalists remaining. But I think the real reason was that he had been named king and had to be in KL to manage the transition to the new regime. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFDanny Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 1 hour ago, FictionIsntReal said: Traveling to a known location a relatively short distance away with all enemy troops surrendered might be different to wandering around to possibly unknown locations who knows where with some possible loyalists remaining. But I think the real reason was that he had been named king and had to be in KL to manage the transition to the new regime. That is certainly a possible answer, but I lean to Robert not knowing where Lyanna is, either from Ned hiding that information from him, or because Ned learns where his sister is after he leaves King's Landing. Robert's feelings towards Lyanna more than border on obsession. Robert seems to have cornered the market on obsession when it comes to having his Lyanna back, and in the killing of Targaryens. It is hard for me to believe if he knew where she was that he would not have gone to get her in person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BalerionTheCat Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 18 hours ago, Arthur Peres said: The honest answer is that GRRM needed Robert away from the Tower of Joy to allow the plot going, otherwise Jon would be a stillborn by hammer. Honest answer yes. GRRM had not much alternative. Robert could lead separate search. But it would not make sense to have him search North when the hints say South. Robert was the fresh new king. Even if not wounded, he could not leave the throne yet. Wandering there and there without a precise destination. Not without an army of followers slowing him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ygrain Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 15 hours ago, SFDanny said: That is certainly a possible answer, but I lean to Robert not knowing where Lyanna is, either from Ned hiding that information from him, or because Ned learns where his sister is after he leaves King's Landing. Agreed. If he knew, no-one would have been able to talk him out of going himself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dorian Martell's son Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 On 6/13/2020 at 11:30 AM, alienarea said: This is an odd thing that has not been explained to the best of my knowledge. Robert Baratheon is madly in love with Lyanna Stark, and still grieving when he visits Winterfell in the beginning of AGoT. Why doesn't he join Ned in searching for her after the sack of KL? Independent of a shout out with my best friend, I would search for my love, wouldn't I? No, you wouldn't. You would be written by GRRM who would cause you to be injured therefore letting the story progress as written Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbon Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 15 hours ago, SFDanny said: Robert's feelings towards Lyanna more than border on obsession. Robert seems to have cornered the market on obsession when it comes to having his Lyanna back, and in the killing of Targaryens. It is hard for me to believe if he knew where she was that he would not have gone to get her in person. I'm not so sure that Robert was really that obsessed about Lyanna back then. None of his actions fit his claims. I suspect his obsession with Lyanna is more a product of his relationship with Cersei than anything else. Sure, he wanted Lyanna and desired her, but I'm not certain he was that obsessed. The only clue anywhere (back then) that he really cared for her, is drunkenly whispering her name on his wedding night with Cersei, and thats easily explained by the drink and normal relationship history/desire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Ned's Little Girl Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 I think Robert would have raced off to claim Lyanna as soon as he was able to do so if he had known where she was, but not because he was madly in love with her. He wasn't in love with her at all; he thought he owned her. I think his reaction to her disappearance had mostly to do with himself and little to do with her. He couldn't abide the thought of anyone else having access to his possession and he really couldn't abide the thought of what her disappearance might say about her view of him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curled Finger Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Robert lost his folks very young. It appeared he found a sort of family in Jon Arryn and Ned Stark. Catastrophic loss such as that of one's parents at a young age would tend to make a person have unusual responses to the idea of family or love. Though I agree that Robert didn't actually love Lyanna I think he really did love Ned. As an idealized brother at any rate. No doubt Robert had 1,000,001 obligations to tend to as the new king of Westeros, including paying tribute to both Tywin Lannister and Jon Arryn. Ned was a good henchman, certainly trustworthy and suited to the task of finding Lyanna. However, I always got the vibe that Robert was completely in the dark about Lyanna's fate when Ned set off to find her and that Ned wanted it that way. I believe Ned left the siege at Storms End for The Tower of Joy. I recall looking up the route on a map at any rate. With this in mind, I don't know that Robert knew anything at all about Lyanna's whereabouts or where Ned went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lord Varys Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 On 6/14/2020 at 3:07 AM, CassieSol919 said: Robert wasn't in love with Lyanna. As Ned said, Robert never really knew her. He was in love with the idea of Lyanna. We know that Robert was still sleeping with prostitutes when he was supposed to be fighting a war to get Lyanna back. You can be in love with somebody and still sleep around. Especially if you are virile a man with as strong a sexdrive as Robert Baratheon. Love cannot be reduced to monogamy, especially not in as patriarchal a society as Westeros. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
corbon Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 23 minutes ago, Lord Varys said: You can be in love with somebody and still sleep around. Especially if you are virile a man with as strong a sexdrive as Robert Baratheon. Love cannot be reduced to monogamy, especially not in as patriarchal a society as Westeros. You can't love someone you barely know and don't noticeably bother with when you do have a rare opportunity to spend time together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frenin Posted June 15, 2020 Share Posted June 15, 2020 6 hours ago, corbon said: You can't love someone you barely know and don't noticeably bother with when you do have a rare opportunity to spend time together. A very absurd point whether he loved, she loved but the Harrenhall story is like Jaime's tidbits. Robert not being with Lyanna at all times doesn't mean he didn't noticeably bother to spend time together. And till this day people keep reading "you don't know her as i did" with you don't know her at all. Regardless, he may not love her anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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