Game Of Thrones: 10 People Rhaegar Targaryen Should Have Been With (Other Than Lyanna)

Rhaegar Targaryen started the story of Game of Thrones by being with Lyanna Stark, and joining another character would have spared Westeros a lot.

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Rhaegar Targaryen was killed before Season 1 of Game Of Thrones, but his affair with Lyanna Stark changed Westeros and set the events of the story in motion. Rhaegar was married to Elia Martell, and Lyanna was betrothed to Robert Baratheon. However, the star-crossed lovers abandoned their spouses and eloped together, causing Robert’s Rebellion and the collapse of the Targaryen dynasty.

Rhaegar and Lyanna’s secret marriage led to the birth of Jon Snow, but it also killed thousands of people, including the forbidden lovers. Rhaegar chose love over duty when he married Lyanna, but the Dragon Prince should have chosen one of these characters instead.

10 Cersei Lannister

Cersei Lannister grew up believing she would marry Rhaegar Targaryen. Her father, Tywin, was Hand of the King to Rhaegar’s father, King Aerys. Tywin stood in the Mad King’s corner for years until Aerys spitefully scuppered his friend’s plans to marry Cersei and Rhaegar.

Aerys instead chose to wed his son to Elia Martell, but insulting Tywin was a poor move that contributed to House Targaryen’s downfall. Cersei was a beautiful, highborn lady with the power of the Lannisters behind her. If she had married Rhaegar, then the Targaryens could have triumphed over Robert Baratheon.

9 Elia Martell

Robert’s Rebellion could have been avoided if Rhaegar had remained with his wife, Elia Martell. The Dornish princess was married to the Targaryen prince and they had two children, Rhaenys and Aegon. Rhaegar dishonored Elia when he abandoned her for Lyanna Stark.

If Rhaegar had stayed faithful to Elia then he could have usurped his deranged father and ruled as king with Elia as his queen. Rhaenys and Aegon would have lived and Viserys and Daenerys would have grown up in the Red Keep instead of exiled in Essos.

8 Catelyn Tully

One of the most eligible bachelorettes in Westeros during Rhaegar’s youth was Catelyn Tully, the highborn daughter of the Lord of the Riverlands. Catelyn married Ned Stark during Robert’s Rebellion though she would have made a valuable ally and impressive match for Rhaegar Targaryen.

The Targaryens preferred to marry their siblings, but due to Rhaegar’s lack of sisters, the Mad King eventually conceded that his heir would have to marry into another powerful family. Catelyn would have been a great choice and would have had many children with the Dragon Prince.

7 Lysa Tully

Rhaegar could have pursued another powerful political match with Catelyn’s sister, Lysa. Lysa was a highborn lady and marrying her could have allied House Targaryen with the Riverlands, who fought against the dragonlords during Robert’s Rebellion.

Lysa’s marriage to Jon Arryn made her unstable and resentful, but she may have been happier with the Targaryen prince. Rhaegar and Lysa both wanted children and their offspring could have fulfilled the three-headed dragon prophecy.

6 Ashara Dayne

Ashara Dayne was another prominent lady during the era of Robert’s Rebellion. The young maiden was the sister of Ser Arthur Dayne, a member of Aerys II’s Kingsguard. She was one of Princess Elia’s ladies-in-waiting and shared a brief romance with Eddard Stark before his marriage to Catelyn.

Ashara, as a member of a House Dayne, was speculated to be descended from the Valyrians due to her purple eyes. It would have been a wiser decision on the Mad King’s behalf if he had married his son and heir to the Lady of Starfall, potentially ensuring a bride with Valyrian blood.

5 Daenerys Targaryen

The Targaryens married brother to sister for generations as an old Valyrian practice that ensured continued control over their dragons. If Rhaegar had survived Robert’s Rebellion, he could have married his younger sister, Daenerys, after she came of age.

Daenerys was born after Rhaegar’s death, so the Dragon Prince would have to wait a while. Their brother Viserys blamed Daenerys for being “born too late” as she could have prevented Rhaegar’s marriage to Elia and affair with Lyanna.

4 Lynesse Hightower

Another highborn Westerosi lady who Rhaegar could have married is Lynesse Hightower. Lynesse was the first wife of Ser Jorah Mormont. Jorah told Daenerys that she was a rich woman who greatly resembled the Targaryen princess. Lynesse’s taste for expenses eventually led to his banishment from Westeros.

The Hightowers ruled from Oldtown as one of the richest and most powerful families in the Reach. If Rhaegar and Lynesse had married, then Robert’s Rebellion and Jorah’s exile could not have happened. Daenerys and Jorah would have grown up in Westeros completely ignorant of each other.

3 Barristan Selmy

Barristan Selmy was a sworn brother of the Kingsguard and a loyal friend to Rhaegar. Barristan served Rhaegar’s sister, Daenerys, after his death and regaled the Dragon Queen with many stories about her brother.

In Season 5, Barristan tells Daenerys how Rhaegar would play his harp for the people of King’s Landing. Barristan speaks fondly about Rhaegar and would have been a better match for the Dragon Prince than Lyanna.

2 Jon Connington

Jon Connington was Rhaegar’s best friend. In the books, he is still alive and serving a young boy known as Young Griff. Jon believes that the boy is Rhaegar and Elia’s son Aegon, who was swapped with another baby and smuggled out of King’s Landing.

Jon thinks fondly of Rhaegar throughout the books and it is evident that he loved his best friend dearly. If Rhaegar had reciprocated his friend’s romantic feelings, then both characters could have met a happier fate.

1 An Essosi Noblewomen Of Valyrian Heritage

The Mad King wanted to marry his heir to another member of House Targaryen, but Daenerys wasn’t born until after Robert Baratheon killed Rhaegar at the Trident. Before betrothing his son to Elia Martell, Aerys sent Steffon and Cassandra Baratheon to look for a potential wife for Rhaegar in Essos.

The Baratheons searched for an Essosi noblewoman with Valyrian features, though tragically died in a shipwreck whilst returning to Storm’s End. If their mission had been successful, Rhaegar could have married a woman from Essos and — hopefully — turned a blind eye to Lyanna Stark.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/game-thrones-people-rhaegar-targaryen-should-relationship-beside-lyanna-stark/