Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright) flashed back to the moment Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark got married and pledged their love to one another during the Game of Thrones season 7 finale. “Rhaegar didn’t kidnap my aunt or rape her,” Bran said to Sam (John Bradley-West). “He loved her. And she loved him.” Rhaegar and Lyanna have been mentioned several times over the course of the past 7 seasons. Until season 7, there was a lot of speculation regarding their relationship. The story most people believed, thanks to Robert Baratheon, was that Rhaegar had kidnapped and raped Lyanna.
Gilly (Hannah Murray) learned earlier in season 7 that Rhaegar, who was married to Elia Martell initially, was granted an annulment and married another woman in a secret ceremony in Dorne. We now know that woman was Lyanna. Rhaegar and Lyanna fell in love and ran away together. They risked everything to be together. Even though they’re no longer alive, their love is represented in Jon Snow (Kit Harington), whose name is actually Aegon.
This scene marked the first time time we’ve ever seen Rhaegar Targaryen on the show, but we’ve seen Lyanna Stark before. She made her first appearances in season 6. The final episode of season 6 featured a key Lyanna flashback. Her older brother, Ned, raced to the Tower of Joy in Dorne and found Lyanna dying. She had just given birth to her son with Rhaegar — JON SNOW! Lyanna made Ned promise he’d protect her son, and he did just that. But now the truth is finally out! Jon Snow is not a bastard! He’s actually the rightful heir to the Iron Throne! Hear our discussion about all things Game of Thrones by listening to our HollywoodLife podcast!
HollywoodLifers, what did you think of Rhaegar and Lyanna’s scene together during Game of Thrones? Let us know!