What if Ned Stark Married Cersei Lannister

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What if Ned Stark Married Cersei Lannister? Let’s explore the depths of it in the video. As the smoke clears from Robert’s Rebellion, the rebel leaders regard their unexpected allies wearily. Ned Stark had arrived in the capital first, expecting a fight. But as his forces arrive at the gates of King’s Landing, he finds that it has already been seized, and the banners that flutter on the battlements are not those of the Targaryens, but the Lannisters. The horror only grows when he reaches the Red Keep and sees firsthand what the Lannisters have done. There are no words exchanged, there is no explaining, simply the grizzly sight of the king, dead at the foot of his throne, and Jaime Lannister seated in his place. The sight of two young children covered in a Lannister cloak and Elia Martell dead. There are no words to hide Ned’s disgust, his call for justice. But justice does not come. When Robert and the rest of the army arrive to see what has been done, they are equally shocked. Even the battle-hardened veterans blanch at what they see. They pale and shake their heads, but they do not punish. Not with Tywin Lannister among them. For all their silent condemnations, he was the one who secured the capital for them. There was no bloody siege, no storming of the castles. And now he must be appeased. Unlike the rest of them, his army is untouched by the fighting, and his men are prepared to fight. He wants Cersei to marry Robert, but the young lady refuses. Though she wanted to marry a prince, there was only one she had her eye on. She wanted Rhaegar with his silver hair, his sad voice, and his piercing violet eyes. Robert is nothing like that, and more importantly, he does not want to marry her. He doesn’t want to marry anyone, for that matter, save for Lyanna. Jon Arryn already has his young bride, which leaves only one option. Ned Stark. It is a compromise that no one is satisfied with. After seeing their actions in the sack, the last thing Ned wants to do is reward them. Conversely, Tywin sees this match as a significant downgrade, almost like an insult. Winterfell is a powerful seat, but distant and far from being the wealthiest. Yet they see no better alternative. It brings the Lannisters into the fold and allows Tywin to at least come back with something. Jon Arynn sees this and tries to talk to Ned about it, finding him atop the castle walls. Jon: What I ask of you is difficult, for that I am sorry. Ned: It is not the difficulty that bothers me, my lord. It is this whole business. How can you possibly reward Lord Tywin? He was not with us in the Trident; he wasn’t the one who smuggled us from house to house in Gulltown. He certainly wasn’t with us when my father burned. That alone is bad enough, but this… Jon: It is monstrous, I know. I envy you, Northerners, for never having to deal with this, but that is the politics of the South. Believe me, my boy. I like this as much as you, but war demands difficult decisions. It is why it makes monsters of us all. Ned: I never thought it could mean decisions like this. I thought it made us monsters on the battlefield. Jon: If only, my friend. But that is perhaps the only place where it begins, not where it ends. Consider this my last lesson to you, my boy. The battlefield demands you to sacrifice your blood and body, but everything that leads up to it, and what comes after. That demands your soul. You need not accept, but you should know the consequences of refusing. Lord Tywin is a proud man and will not take kindly to that. He will stew and brood over it. He may even rally the other royalists to his side. So, are you prepared to fight him if that happens? Ned closes his eyes, thinking on those words and considering what they could mean, but his mind is already made up. Later that day, the announcement is made that they will move forward with the marriage pact. Right from the start, there are issues with them. Ned and Cersei cannot be more alike. The Lord of Winterfell is grim, quiet, and even-tempered. The Lady of Casterly Rock is loud, angry, impulsive, and vindictive. Even the ceremony proves to be a battleground as Tywin wishes for a public ceremony in the Red Keep, but Ned wishes for something quiet, both out of preference and to show solidarity with those who suffered in the war. A simple ceremony in the Kingswood is the compromise, one that only annoys Cersei further. #gameofthrones #gameofthroneswhatif #whatif #nedstark #cerseilannister