What would happen to Ned if Brandon lived?

[Rheagar Prime]

probably would have married lady dustin or ashara dayne

[Gingerchu]

Tywin marrying his daughter to a politically null family which would gain him no power foot hold and that too to a second son is almost impossible,If a Second son is the only option Oberyn would have been his choice.

I get the feeling that Tywin rejecting the Dornish marriages that Joanna planned was because of racism rather than poor timing and lack of political advantage

[Batman]

Does Lyanna live as well? Because then he may end up living with her and Robert at Storms End. He could also marry Ashara Dayne. In any case he could end up being either Brandon, Robert or Jon Arryn's good right hand. Wait, I just assumed that none of that bad stuff happened, with Rhaegar running off with a teenage girl leaving his wife and kids with the mad King.

[Kuther2000]

I get the feeling that Tywin rejecting the Dornish marriages that Joanna planned was because of racism rather than poor timing and lack of political advantage

If that is the case, well that sucks and to think he could have gotten rid of a likely candidate for Rhaegar's hand and Aerys would have probably had to go with Cersei out of the other candidates.

I always knew why Tywin didn't go for the Oberyn marriage. It is a good judgement call when you think about it. Oberyn brings nothing to the table as a second son although wealthy as they could get from a reigning Lord or future King

But Elia and Jaime was a possible match. If he had time to settle into the thought of marriage, he may not have been as easily swayed by Cersei to join the Kingsguard.

I thought Ned would probably be an advisor to Robert, Brandon, or Jon Arryn. Probably Robert. He would have probably married either a Northern lord's daughter or Vale lord's daughter. I can't see him marrying Ashara especially now that it seems like Brandon/Ashara fits much better than Ned/Ashara.

[Maia]

But Elia and Jaime was a possible match. If he had time to settle into the thought of marriage, he may not have been as easily swayed by Cersei to join the Kingsguard.

Combination of Elia's weak health and her being 7-8 years older than Jaime was the most likely reason, IMHO. Tywin probably didn't believe that she could bear healthy children.

I agree that Oberyn for Cersei didn't make practical sense, unless one was aware of the need to separate the twins ASAP, which Tywin wasn't.

Re: Ned, yes, IMHO, he would have probably been North's Kevan. A Vale or northern marriage for him would have made the most sense.

Great Houses don't split their lands in Westeros, so no northern cousinly branches for Starks. And, for some reason, their Vale cousins didn't use the opportunity to strengthen the relationship neither prior to Robert's Rebellion, while Ned was in the Vale, nor after it. I'd have thought that they would have tried to get somebody fostered at WF or sent younger sons to join Robb, but no...

[blood of the dragoon]

His distaste for tourneys started at Harrenhall.

Well met

[JonathanTheBold]

I get the feeling that Tywin rejecting the Dornish marriages that Joanna planned was because of racism rather than poor timing and lack of political advantage

Based on what

[Fat Mac]

Tywin denying Cersei's marriage to Oberyn made a lot of sense. Because the Dornish follow different customs, Oberyn was third in line to Sunspear at the time of the marriage prospect, behind Doran and Elia. Cersei is the only daughter of the richest man in the realm. I can definitely see why he didn't marry him to her. Jaime and Elia would have made a lot more sense, as Jaime stood to inherit something at the time.

But in the end, they were also quite different in ages, as Elia was 9 years older than the twins and Oberyn 8. There were many more suitors in their age range (at the time it would have been Brandon, Ned, Cat, Lysa, Robert, Stannis, Lyanna etc)

[eggs]

He'd marry some northern lords daughter and live out his days in some castle in the north,occasionally visiting the stormlands to visit Bob.

this minus the visits. Unless it was the rebellion that lead to his keeping secluded up north.

[-Ghost-]

If the rebellion still happened the way it did, only with Brandon living, I could see Robert give Ned Highgarden.

[Napyura]

Of options that are there, I think he would get Dragonstone or atleast seat in small council.

[C0bR]

After spending a year in the Black Cells of the Red Keep, fed up by Iron Throne and the South, Brandon tells Robert to gtfo and proclaims himself King in the North with Ned as his Hand.

[Minsc]

Vale - Jon Arryn married to Tully and old. No heir (Elbert Arryn I suppose, but if Jon has a son that's a waste of a marriage)

Jon Arryn only married Lysa because of needing Hoster's support in RR. Thus, without RR he would have likely stay unmarried and just kept the still living Elbert Arryn as his heir until his death.

[AvengerofWinterfell]

i think he would've married Ashara Dayne but thats the only likely choice in my opinion due to a lack of options. If there was another likely choice Im pretty sure Stannis wouldnt have gotten stuck with the wife he did.

As for Stark cadet branches, they've simply died off. They may seem thin compared to other Great Houses, but they also engage in far more combat due to wildling raids & invasions not to mention Iron Born raids.

[Kuther2000]

Combination of Elia's weak health and her being 7-8 years older than Jaime was the most likely reason, IMHO. Tywin probably didn't believe that she could bear healthy children.

Yea. I see what you mean that is a practical reason. But the only problem is he didn't say that, he just chose to insult the Princess of Dorne. I am assuming that if he had explained his caution to Princess of Dorne. It most likely wouldn't have been taken as a slight.

Assuming Joanna knew all of the issues with Elia, I wonder how she was proposing getting Tywin to agree to the marriage.

It would have been funny if not tragic for the fact that Elia did exactly what Tywin assumed she couldn't do. She gave birth to healthy children and probably would have beaten everyone's thought of her dying early.

i think he would've married Ashara Dayne but thats the only likely choice in my opinion due to a lack of options. If there was another likely choice Im pretty sure Stannis wouldnt have gotten stuck with the wife he did.

I don't know about this even without Robert's Rebellion. Ashara had most likely been with Brandon Stark and gotten pregnant by him. I don't see Ned marrying someone his brother knocked up. It's always possible

[Lonin]

The Nights Watch.

[Luthien Targaryen]

I wonder if young Ned hadn't wanted to join the Kingsguard (obviously before all that nasty business with Jaime Lannister killing the King and Ned having to kill three of them to get to his sister). Otherwise he might have married Miss Dayne.. I think that sending him off to the Vale was part of a career plan that would have made Ned "Ser Eddard Stark", so he's be more like a northern version of Brynden Tully.

Jon mentions that Ned had ambitions about settling the Gift, i wonder if that was what Rickard intended for Ned and Benjen.

Or he could have ended up married to Cersei Lannister...perish the thought! Seriously i think being beheaded was a big improvement if that was the other option.

Or yeah, Ned would have made a pretty awesome Lord Commander of the Nights Watch.

[BlackStark]

I think he would have ended up with Barbrey Ryswell

[The Fallen]

` Ned would probably end up the same way Ned planned for Bran. He would hold a keep in the north and be a loyal lord to his brother Brandon Stark.

[TheGreatstag]

If the rebellion still happened the way it did, only with Brandon living, I could see Robert give Ned Highgarden.

Ned would've rejected it. He's never one to thirst for power and a hard quiet honorable man growing up with such a deep connection to the Old Gods would struggle to contain the rich, flowery Reach.