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How aware was Robert of Lyanna's true feelings for him


Alyn Oakenfist

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Frankly, I don’t think Robert cared about how she felt about him. A hedonist on his level is so self absorbed that he couldn’t even notice or care about all the debt he was piling up while he lived a king’s life. He was completely focused on his own satisfaction, and not in a healthy way either.

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12 minutes ago, James Steller said:

Frankly, I don’t think Robert cared about how she felt about him. A hedonist on his level is so self absorbed that he couldn’t even notice or care about all the debt he was piling up while he lived a king’s life. He was completely focused on his own satisfaction, and not in a healthy way either.

True, but it's clear that the memory of Lyanna still hurts him even after all the years when he goes to the crypts. The question is, how much was he in denial about Lyanna's feelings for him?

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12 minutes ago, Alyn Oakenfist said:

True, but it's clear that the memory of Lyanna still hurts him even after all the years when he goes to the crypts. The question is, how much was he in denial about Lyanna's feelings for him?

Robert was in complete and utter denial. The possibility that Lyanna might not love him and that she might not want to marry him probably never even crossed his mind once. 

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24 minutes ago, Takiedevushkikakzvezdy said:

Overall, I think he knew that she ran off with Rhaegar, but was in denial the whole time.

That feels like a stretch. I can buy that he deluded himself into thinking that Lyanna reciprocated his feelings for her (after all, men having bastards and indulging in food or drink isn't any different from the average Westerosi nobleman). But I don't think he ever suspected that Lyanna eloped with Rhaegar. We don't even know if that's what she did, to be honest.

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29 minutes ago, Canon Claude said:

That feels like a stretch. I can buy that he deluded himself into thinking that Lyanna reciprocated his feelings for her (after all, men having bastards and indulging in food or drink isn't any different from the average Westerosi nobleman). But I don't think he ever suspected that Lyanna eloped with Rhaegar. We don't even know if that's what she did, to be honest.

That's how I interpreted this quote, at least.

Quote

"Rhaegar … Rhaegar won, damn him. I killed him, Ned, I drove the spike right through that black armor into his black heart, and he died at my feet. They made up songs about it. Yet somehow he still won. He has Lyanna now, and I have her."

 

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9 hours ago, James Steller said:

Frankly, I don’t think Robert cared about how she felt about him.  ...   He was completely focused on his own satisfaction, and not in a healthy way either.

I got this impression, too. After all, weren't ALL the tavern wenches and 'hos "in love" with Robert? At least, as far as he could tell. Not for Robert to consider that maybe it was his status as a Great Lord and then also a Great Warrior in The Rebellion and later a Great King that the ladies were attracted to.

And why shouldn't they still be attracted to him, after he'd gained 100 pounds of fat, was constantly drunk and pulled into his bed anything that wore skirts? Women couldn't possibly care about such things!  All the women and ladies loved Robert! So Lyanna did, too. Amirite?

Of course, Lyanna Stark was to be a Great Lady, the Lady of Winterfell, since she was the eldest and only daughter of Lord Stark. She was on a level with the Lord of Storm's End, not someone hoping to cling to him to improve her status. But this may have been too difficult a calculation for Robert Baratheon. And after her elopement/abduction, Robert had him a Grievance that he had to nurse. In a twisted sense, it made him happy.

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1 hour ago, zandru said:

I got this impression, too. After all, weren't ALL the tavern wenches and 'hos "in love" with Robert? At least, as far as he could tell. Not for Robert to consider that maybe it was his status as a Great Lord and then also a Great Warrior in The Rebellion and later a Great King that the ladies were attracted to.

And why shouldn't they still be attracted to him, after he'd gained 100 pounds of fat, was constantly drunk and pulled into his bed anything that wore skirts? Women couldn't possibly care about such things!  All the women and ladies loved Robert! So Lyanna did, too. Amirite?

Of course, Lyanna Stark was to be a Great Lady, the Lady of Winterfell, since she was the eldest and only daughter of Lord Stark. She was on a level with the Lord of Storm's End, not someone hoping to cling to him to improve her status. But this may have been too difficult a calculation for Robert Baratheon. And after her elopement/abduction, Robert had him a Grievance that he had to nurse. In a twisted sense, it made him happy.

To be honest, what would Robert have been better off doing? Being a king clearly wasn’t for him, and honestly, the responsibilities of being Lord of Storm’s End also seem like they’re a bit too much for Robert to handle. He’s a great warrior but he would have never lasted as a Kingsguard. The only thing that really seems like something he’d be good at is being the leader of a sellsword/mercenary company. He really should have abdicated his titles at 16 and let Stannis be Lord of Storm’s End instead. And even aside from my pro Stannis bias, he is an objectively better administrator than Robert.

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16 hours ago, Takiedevushkikakzvezdy said:

That's how I interpreted this quote, at least.

 

Lyanna and Rhaegar are dead, thus he has her.

To OP question, no, Robert was in complete dark about Lyanna's thoughts of him, unless Lyanna made it clear in whatever encounters they may have had, he never suspected the truth.

This is him while dying.

 

Quote

The servants rushed back in and hurried to feed the fires. The queen had gone; that was some small relief, at least. If she had any sense, Cersei would take her children and fly before the break of day, Ned thought. She had lingered too long already. King Robert did not seem to miss her. He bid his brother Renly and Grand Maester Pycelle to stand in witness as he pressed his seal into the hot yellow wax that Ned had dripped upon his letter. “Now give me something for the pain and let me die.” Hurriedly, Grand Maester Pycelle mixed him another draught of the milk of the poppy. This time the king drank deeply. His black beard was beaded with thick white droplets when he threw the empty cup aside. “Will I dream?” Ned gave him his answer. “You will, my lord.” “Good,” he said, smiling. “I will give Lyanna your love, Ned. Take care of my children for me.”

He's telling Ned how disappointing he was overall, he's not going to lie about that.

I think that Ned never wanted to pop that particular bubble and let it be and so Robert kept believing the feelings were mutual.

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19 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

That feels like a stretch. I can buy that he deluded himself into thinking that Lyanna reciprocated his feelings for her (after all, men having bastards and indulging in food or drink isn't any different from the average Westerosi nobleman). But I don't think he ever suspected that Lyanna eloped with Rhaegar. We don't even know if that's what she did, to be honest.

It's not a stretch at all. Robert all but acknowledges it when he says that Rhaegar has Lyanna now, which can't be explained by both of them just being dead, as delusional Robert would surely believe Rhaegar suffering in the seven hells, not enjoying Lyanna's company.

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32 minutes ago, Bael's Bastard said:

It's not a stretch at all. Robert all but acknowledges it when he says that Rhaegar has Lyanna now, which can't be explained by both of them just being dead, as delusional Robert would surely believe Rhaegar suffering in the seven hells, not enjoying Lyanna's company.

Robert never acknowledges it, his reasoning is quite clear,  Cersei and him are alive, Lyanna and Rhaegar are dead.

Once he's going to die, he believes he's going to be reunited with Lyanna again. A very odd thought if he already knew what was up.

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3 hours ago, frenin said:

Robert never acknowledges it, his reasoning is quite clear,  Cersei and him are alive, Lyanna and Rhaegar are dead.

Thats not how it works though. Rhaegar doesn't 'get' Lyanna just because they are both dead, In fact, it should be the very opposite - if Rhaegar was Lyanna's captor and rapist then in death, even shared death, she should be 'free' of him.
Robert's 'reasoning' is clearly counter to all normal cultural beliefs about the afterlife. 
That doesn't matter to him, because Robert is is willing to accept cognitive dissonance rather than face a hard truth. Thats part of the reason why he's such a weak and lost individual, drowning himself in alcohol and cheap and meaningless sex. 

What we see in the first passage is Robert unconsciously expressing the knowledge that his conscious mind refuses to acknowledge or accept. He doesn't even realise the meaning of what he's said. Too busy 'feeling' (wallowing) to think.

3 hours ago, frenin said:

Once he's going to die, he believes he's going to be reunited with Lyanna again. A very odd thought if he already knew what was up.

That expression is his conscious mind, which blocks off the knowledge he doesn't want to accept, expressing its chosen belief.
That its inconsistent with his unconscious mind understanding the reality is entirely consistent with Robert's character throughout AGoT.
 

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