There are a couple of things I’m still thinking about putting into this story. Since it’s such a broad topic, and a heavily debated one I thought I’d let the ideas speak for themselves. No matter where it ends up at the end I’ll be posting it so, I guess just let me know what you think.

Harrenhal Outline and Notes:

Because Brandon won’t trust her rotation of babysitting:
Days 1, 4, 7 : Brandon
Days 2, 5, 8 : Ned
Days 3, 6, 9 : Benjen (This is when she’ll sneak off)

Events:
Day 01: (GRRM says there were 5 days of jousting) Arrival, Howland Reed, Feast
Day 02: Knight of the Laughing Tree
Day 03: (Rhaegar and Lyanna)
Day 04: Horse racing
Day 05: When she’s crowned Queen of Love and Beauty
Day 06: (Murmers show)
Day 07: Melee which Robert participates (and wins GRRM)
Day 08: (Bard Competition)
Day 09: My made up team challenge with Robert and Ned that makes Brandon kinda mad
Day 10: (last day likely everyone leaving)

Considering Brandon is going to be a lord, he probably wouldn’t have been around them much. He likely would’ve been talking to people, seeing who to make friends with. Ect. Lyanna would have probably liked having time with Ned since he’d been gone so long, and she was certainly used to being around Benjen.

Knight of the Laughing Tree: It must have been Lyanna 90% of jousting is how to handle a horse. She was known as a very above average rider. (I gave her her horse at 8 and made it a distraction to her deciding she could do everything her brothers did.) It also is the perfect excuse for Rhaegar to meet with her, gives them something to talk about. He’s ‘the people’s prince’ so naturally he would want to save her from being captured and found out by anyone else. She is very playful, but quick to think. So, she’ll more or so force his friendship on her because of her personality.

Brandon would not want to have this happen and he will be quick to be angry when it comes to them together. But, at the same time he isn’t incredibly happy with Ned. He is suspicious and thinks Ned is trying to marry Lyanna to his friend for a lordship or something. The fact that he’s talking to Ashara Dayne doesn’t make him like the situation at all. He wants to be in charge, and doesn’t like that she’ll go to their other brothers first. As far as he’s concerned Lyanna should be with him talking to lords and ladies and not watching anything in the tourney.

Eddard is kind of disconnected with his siblings. He would much rather be with Robert, and people traveling from the Vale than with them. But he had been asked to come back to Winterfell and travel with them and watch Lyanna so Rickard could have the peace of mind she would be safe. In letters from the Vale he could never tell her what to do, so she always liked his advice because it was just that. He didn’t argue and he never told her what to do. As such, Rickard thought it would be better to have Ned talk to her about her betrothed and to let her see him. He was worried about how stubborn she could be, but assumed he had a better chance than Brandon.

Benjen, I’m not sure where I’m going with him right now. Part of me thinks he must have known his father would of wanted him to go to the Night’s Watch. He’d only stayed as long as he did because Ned needed him after their father and brother died. So, I think he would have known that he was needed there. As such, it is crucial that it was mentioned there was a member of the Night’s Watch trying to recruit at the tourney. Few people would have cared, but in his position he might have had a good talk or two. I don’t think there has been anything that has showed Brandon was fond of Ned or Benjen, and Ned already had a pretty separate life from his family. (Besides, if Lyanna is 14/15 Benjen is likely 12/13 he might of had some rebellious feelings about ‘Starks manning the wall for generations’.) This is all dependant on who from the Night’s Watch is there. Speculation says it could be Mance. It would be interesting to have a conversation where he might be questioning how he feels about being raised at Castle Black because he was born a Wildling. If he were that young and so much happened afterward, and years past Benjen certainly wouldn’t remember him sneaking into Winterfell. (But it is a very fun plot to try and write!)

Rhaegar and Lyanna, I’m almost certain he told her about the prophecy he thought he would fulfill. She, in response would have been excited by the news and eager to help him if it meant she didn’t have to stay in Winterfell for long periods of time. Lets face it, she’s described as ‘willful’ Brandon goes anywhere he can. Ned is in the Vale, we can only assume had Rickard lived longer he’d make Benjen do things for him too. She was always left behind because she was a girl and he needed to keep her protected. I’m also assuming the reason Ned was lenient with Arya was because over all Rickard wasn’t lenient with Lyanna. He would have scolded her, taken things away, burned them, anything to keep her at what she should be doing. That made her more determined to run off on her own in the end. She probably loved him dearly, and was completely devastated when he died but she wanted to do things on her own, meet people by herself, and protect herself in her own way.

I don’t necessarily think Rhaegar would have felt that appealing. But if she didn’t want to sew and she wanted an excuse to be outside she likely would have needed a good cover up. The only thing that comes to mind is books. He like to read, he liked to learn and she did as well. So, they came together on this mutual friendship of learning and teaching. I think she also communicated with him well after the tourney ended. (He says it could have been years between Harrenhal and when she was ‘kidnapped’ It shows she died at sixteen, the rebellion lasted just under a year. She wasn’t found until a few months after it had ended.) Elia was sickly, and he was fond of her because she was bright. Here was this young, bright, energetic girl, talking to him, saying she wanted to help him, confiding in him because they were friends, and I’m sure he was more than tempted to keep her too.

The sad truth for Robert at that point was she was never going to want to be with him. She wanted someone who was more like her. All she had seen him do the entire tourney was drink, and beat people with his warhammer. Even her own brother was wary of letting her come near him. Which I’m sure was true. Ned knew what kind of man Robert was, and he liked women. He’d probably had a few by then and I’m sure he didn’t want to hear about that, or how much he wanted his sister. So he let her watch the Melee, and maybe she’d seen him joust. But there was never a time they all sat together and talked. (GRRM said they’d seen each other from a distance.) But, I’m sure she was asking questions, some he’d rather not answer. So, since they were developing their friendship and getting along fantastically, I’m sure Lyanna asked Rhaegar to tell her more about him. He knew they were betrothed, so he wouldn’t find it odd until he knew about Ned. But no one would lie to him, he’s the prince everyone loves. He probably didn’t care much for what he’d heard, but by now she was already falling in love with a married man. But, on the other side I think it’s safe to say the only reason he wanted to marry Lyanna was to be Ned’s brother by law. Then Ned could stay around and run his errands and do his work. (like he did when he was king.) The first time he’d noticed her was likely when Rhaegar gave her the crown of winter roses and named her Queen of Love and Beauty.

Here is where Lyanna conflict ends! But that wouldn’t be the whole story. Because there is another big plot hole here that’s missing. (That whole part where some Stark sleeps with Ashra Dayne)

So, as I couldn’t leave that alone either I already introduced the plot where Brandon and Ned are not good happy brothers who trust each other completely. I think they had a little bit of rivalry when they were younger which caused them to needed to be separated. Ned doesn’t particularly like Brandon, but he respects him as a leader, and trusts him as best he can because they’re brothers. In the story Reed says Brandon asked her to dance for Ned, which I make it a point in my first chapter to say Lyanna suggested it. (And threatened him) She’s still young so any time she saw they were talking or looking at eachother after, she would have likely thought romantic. (And Ned is her favorite.) So, she would have talked to Brandon and told him things like ‘oh they’d have cute children’ and ‘their kids could play with yours’ and ‘If Benjen finds a lady you’ll all be so happy.’ As noble and just as the Starks are I’m sure he was a little hot headed over the whole situation. She was making it worse and getting him paranoid. After all, Robert is lord of Storm’s End. Jon Arryn is Warden in the East, and Lord of the Vale. One of them could make Ned a lord. (Not that Ned would be considering this at all. He’s either been following Brandon or Robert his entire life. I doubt he wanted to have anything to do with being a lord, leading armies, or taking control of anything. He likely would have been happy enough being someone’s steward which in all honesty is what Robert would have wanted anyway.)

This being said, there are only a few logical rational way to stop this girl who possibly doesn’t even really like his brother. One, to find out some horrible secret, which he doesn’t have. Two, to make him look like a complete and total jerk, which is really kind of out of character for him. Third, to frame him for something he didn’t do. (I think it’s very possible. After all, Brandon is said to be the handsome one if he asked her to dance on Ned’s behalf because he’s too shy, she also likely wouldn’t know the difference between any of the three brothers if they’d only had a few conversations in passing she is pretty and a lot of men thought the same thing. She was probably more than used to them talking to her. (As was Lyanna, which was why she didn’t see any trouble with Rhaegar.) With how I have the timeline set up, Ned would have been watching Lyanna when it happened. But he couldn’t exactly defend himself by saying he couldn’t do anything if he was with his sister all night. The way the duty is divided does make it seem like it could be any one of them, because if they’re friends Rhaegar is going to ask her what she thinks. She’d be quicker to defend Ned and Benjen because she likes them better as well. But, it wasn’t like anyone could accuse any of them without there being some proof.

That is the main plot unraveled. Except there is going to be so much more in the story with dialogues, tiny daily plots, and conflict.The last chapter I’m saving as open in hope by then I’ll either know what to do to close it without leaving too many things open. Or to take the time to reflect on what happened and kind of how it builds their character. For example, we know Ned likes Benjen, he had him over for the feast when the King came. You know he cared about Lyanna since he went to find her, and he fought to try and get her back. Brandon is a huge grey area. There was one chapter I remember Cat saying the only time she was afraid of Ned was when she mentioned Ashara Dayne. I’m more than certain he was a topic Ned tried to avoid with Cat he might have felt inadequate, or maybe he was in love and hearing his name made him upset that maybe she was still in love with him. Regardless of how he felt it was a name passed down through Starks, so he would name a kid Brandon.