Game of Thrones is no longer afraid of diving deep into the past of Westeros. Thanks to Bran now training under the mysterious Three-Eyed Raven, the show has a way to deliver flashbacks that make perfect sense in the context of the series.
Deliver it has. Only three episodes into season six, and the showrunners have already delivered on a key scene that fans of the show and books alike have long waited to further explore. It's a scene of vital importance to the end of Robert's rebellion. It's also a scene at the very heart of one long-held fan theory.
Better yet, the show all but confirmed it.
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The scene we are talking about is none other than the fight at the Tower of Joy. It is one of the longest-running mysteries in the books, even if readers already know much of what happens there. At the end of Robert's Rebellion, Eddard Stark, Howland Reed and a group of five other warriors travel south near the Dornish border to a secluded tower after learning that Ned's sister, Lyanna, is being held there. Lyanna had been "kidnapped" by Prince Rhaegar Targaryen before the beginning of the conflict; in many ways, her disappearance served as the spark that would plunge Westeros into chaos.
Ned and the others arrive to find the tower defended by three kingsguard, among them Ser Arthur Dayne, quite possibly the greatest knight to have ever lived in Westeros. A battle ensues. When the dust settles, only Ned and Howland remain standing. Ned bursts into the Tower to find Lyanna dying. She's asks Ned to "promise her," though what exactly that promise is has never been revealed.
The scene plays out similarly on the show, with some lines even taken directly from the source material, though there are a few differences worth noting. In the show, Ned and Howland are accompanied by four men, not five. In the books, it is lord commander Gerold Hightower who does most of the talking, not Arthur Dayne. Arthur Dayne in the books wields his legendary greatsword, Dawn, rather than two swords like in the show (though it does appear that Dayne sticks Dawn into the ground before the fight). However, amid all of those minor changes is one major addition in HBO's adaptation that has far-reaching implications for the future of both the show and books: the cries of a newborn baby.
Fans have long theorized that Jon Snow, Ned's supposed bastard conceived during the war, is anything but that. Instead, the theory proposes that Jon is actually the son of Lyanna and prince Rhaegar, and thus, part Targaryen. It's believed that Lyanna dies in childbirth, and her dying wish is for Ned is to keep her child safe. After all, if her son is indeed part Targaryen, he would eventually grow up to be a major threat to the throne, a threat that many men would have no problem snuffing out while the young Jon is still in his crib. It would also explain why Rhaegar commanded three of the seven kingsguard to protect Lyanna, rather than have them engage in battle.
As the theory goes, Ned takes Jon home, says he's his bastard and then doesn't speak of it again in order to keep Jon safe and fulfill his promise to his sister. The idea of Ned having a bastard to begin with is extremely out of character, as he's regarded as one of the most honorable men in all of the seven kingdoms. That lends some credibility to the idea that Jon might more than he appears. We also know Ned isn't fond of killing children, even Targaryen ones. It's a point of contention between Ned and Robert years later, when Robert plans to assassinate Daenerys and Viserys after having learned about their survival overseas. Ned also planned to tell Jon more about his mother, but never got the chance.
It all adds up beautifully. From the opening moments of Martin's books, the seeds are planted for Jon to be the Targaryen prince that was promised.
However, it is all simply a theory ... an incredibly possible and very likely theory, but a theory nonetheless — until the cry of the baby on last night's episode, that is. Though the show doesn't depict what goes on inside the tower (the Three-Eyed Raven insists that Bran not look inside), the cry is all fans needed. It's now all but confirmed that Lyanna had a child and that she died in childbirth. The only question that remains is what happened to her child, but as outlined above, we likely already know the answer.
That baby is, in all likelihood, Jon, and he's destined for greatness. Now that he's back from the dead and free of the Night's Watch, Jon is finally free to do as he sees fit. Will he search for his siblings? Take revenge on the Boltons? Possibly. What exactly he plans to do is unknown, but fans can rest assured that he will learn his true heritage sooner rather than later.
