Editing Lyanna Stark (section)

==History==
===Early life===
Born at [[Winterfell]],{{Ref|AWOIAF|Lyanna Stark}} Lyanna was the only daughter of Lord [[Rickard Stark]] and Lady [[Lyarra Stark]]. She had two older brothers, [[Brandon Stark|Brandon]] and [[Eddard Stark|Eddard]], and one younger brother, [[Benjen Stark|Benjen]].{{Ref|TWOIAF|Appendix: Stark lineage}}{{Ref|AGOT|Appendix}}

Eddard was [[fostered]] at the [[Eyrie]] by Lord [[Jon Arryn]] since the age of eight, where he befriended his fellow ward, [[Robert I Baratheon|Robert Baratheon]].{{Ref|AGOT|6}} Eddard brought Robert's suit to Winterfell,{{Ref|AWOIAF|Lyanna Stark}} and Rickard agreed to betroth his daughter to the young [[Lord of Storm's End]].{{Ref|AGOT|35}} However, that night Lyanna confided to Eddard that she believed Robert would never be able to keep to one bed. She had heard that Robert had [[Mya Stone|an illegitimate daughter]] in the [[Vale of Arryn]], which Eddard could not deny. He attempted to persuade her that what Robert had done before their [[betrothal]] was insignificant and that he would love her, but Lyanna informed him that love could not change a man's nature.{{Ref|AGOT|35}}

===Tourney at Harrenhal===
[[File:rhaeg_lyanna-winterfelll.jpg|thumb|350px|right|[[Rhaegar Targaryen]] giving the [[queen of love and beauty|victor's laurels]] to Lyanna, by M.Luisa Giliberti ©]]
Lyanna was present at the [[tourney at Harrenhal]] during the year of the false spring, {{Date|281}}. She happened upon a [[crannogman]], [[Howland Reed]], who was being bullied by three young [[squire]]s, none older than fifteen. She roared "That's [[Rickard Stark|my father's]] man you're kicking", and attacked them with a tourney sword. The bullies scattered and Lyanna took Howland back to her tent, where she cleaned his wounds and bound them with linen. Then she introduced him to her brothers, [[Brandon Stark|Brandon]], [[Eddard Stark|Eddard]], and [[Benjen Stark|Benjen]]. That evening, a feast was held to celebrate the start of the tourney. Lyanna persuaded Howland to attend the feast, as he was highborn and had as much right to attend as anyone. During the feast [[Rhaegar Targaryen]], [[Prince of Dragonstone]] and a noted musician, performed a sad and beautiful song that made Lyanna weep. However, when Benjen teased her for crying, she poured [[wine]] over her younger brother's head.{{Ref|ASOS|24}} During the feast, Lyanna recognized the three squires who had bullied Howland and pointed them out to her brothers.{{Ref|ASOS|24}}

During the tourney's jousting, a short [[mystery knight]] known as the [[Knight of the Laughing Tree]] defeated [[Porcupine knight|the]] [[Pitchfork knight|three]] [[Knight of the two towers‎‎|knights]] the bullies served, and demanded they be chastised as ransom payment.{{Ref|ASOS|24}} Some readers [[Knight of the Laughing Tree/Theories|have suggested Lyanna for the identity]] of the mystery knight. King [[Aerys II Targaryen]] demanded that the mystery knight's identity be revealed and even sent his son Rhaegar in search of him,{{ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring}} but nothing was found aside from the knight's shield in a tree.{{ref|ASOS|24}}

Prince Rhaegar won the tournament by defeating Ser [[Barristan Selmy]], but instead of crowning his own wife, Princess [[Elia Martell]], as the [[queen of love and beauty]], Rhaegar shocked those present by presenting the laurel of blue [[winter rose]]s to Lyanna, placing it in her lap with the tip of his lance.{{Ref|AGOT|58}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring}} At that moment "all the smiles died".{{Ref|AGOT|58}} Brandon believed Rhaegar's action to have been a slight upon Lyanna's honor. Some people say that [[Robert I Baratheon|Robert Baratheon]], Lyanna's betrothed, laughed at Rhaegar's action, claiming that Rhaegar had only paid Lyanna her due; however, those closer to Robert claim that Robert brooded over the insult, and grew resentful of Rhaegar henceforth.{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring}}

===Robert's Rebellion===
[[File:Enife_Lyanna_Stark.png|thumb|350px|right|Lyanna, wearing a crown of blue [[winter rose]]s, by Enife ©]]
The next year, Lyanna came face to face with [[Rhaegar Targaryen]] ten leagues from [[Harrenhal]],{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: The Year of the False Spring}} and she was taken by him with the help of Ser [[Arthur Dayne]] and Ser [[Oswell Whent]], both of his father's [[Kingsguard]].{{Ref|AWOIAF|Rhaegar Targaryen}} When her brother Brandon, on his way to [[Riverrun]] for his [[wedding]], learned about Lyanna's disappearance, he changed course towards [[King's Landing]], accompanied by several companions ([[Ethan Glover]], [[Jeffory Mallister]], [[Kyle Royce]] and Ser [[Elbert Arryn]]). At the [[Red Keep]], Brandon roared for Rhaegar "to come out and die". Though Rhaegar was not present, King [[Aerys II Targaryen]] had Brandon and his companions arrested and charged them with treason, accusing them of plotting the murder of the crown prince.{{Ref|ACOK|55}}

Aerys summoned the captives' fathers to court, supposedly to answer the charge against their sons. Lord [[Rickard Stark]] demanded a [[trial by combat]], and though the king granted him the request, he chose "fire" as his champion. Lord Rickard was suspended from rafters of the [[Great Hall (Red Keep)|throne room]] over a blazing fire whilst dressed in his armor, while Brandon, attached to a device which tightened a cord around his neck whenever he moved, was forced to watch as his father was slowly cooked inside his armor. Brandon strangled himself in an attempt to get to a [[longsword]] placed just out of his reach, to save Rickard. When King Aerys next demanded the heads of [[Robert I Baratheon|Robert Baratheon]] and [[Eddard Stark]] from the [[Eyrie]], Lord [[Jon Arryn]] responded by raising his banners in revolt, starting [[Robert's Rebellion]].{{Ref|ACOK|55}}{{Ref|AGOT|2}}{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: Robert's Rebellion}}

Opinions on Rhaegar's motivation in taking Lyanna differ. According to Robert, Rhaegar raped Lyanna "hundreds of times".{{Ref|AGOT|4}} This is repeated by Eddard's young son [[Bran Stark]].{{Ref|AGOT|66}} However, Ser [[Barristan Selmy]] is convinced that "Prince Rhaegar loved his Lady Lyanna".{{Ref|ADWD|67}} [[Daenerys Targaryen]] believes that Rhaegar had stolen Lyanna away from her betrothed,{{Ref|ASOS|42}} and when she is about to marry, Daenerys thinks to herself that if [[Daario Naharis|her paramour]] loved her, he would "come and carry you off at swordpoint, as Rhaegar carried off his northern girl".{{Ref|ADWD|43}} According to [[Viserys Targaryen]], Rhaegar had fought and died for "the woman he loved",{{Ref|AGOT|3}} something which his sister Daenerys also believes.{{Ref|AGOT|64}} Additionally, one of the visions Daenerys sees in the [[House of the Undying]] depicts Rhaegar's death, in which he whispers Lyanna's name with his last breath.{{Ref|ACOK|48}}{{Ref|AWOIAF|Rhaegar Targaryen}} However, Viserys also believes that Rhaegar had simply not been happy with his marriage to Elia, which had led to him taking Lyanna.{{Ref|ASOS|42}} [[Cersei Lannister]], who was infatuated with Rhaegar, has similar beliefs, as she is convinced that Rhaegar would never have looked twice at the "wolf girl" if he had been satisfied in his wife.{{Ref|AFFC|24}} Cersei's uncle, Ser [[Kevan Lannister]], believes that, if Aerys had accepted the proposal from Lord [[Tywin Lannister]] to marry Cersei to Rhaegar, the war might have been avoided, as Cersei had been much more beautiful than Lyanna, and would have been able to give Rhaegar the sons he had wanted,{{Ref|ADWD|Epilogue}} something which Princess [[Elia Martell]] could not.{{Ref|ADWD|61}}
	 
The war, led by Lyanna's fiancé Robert, her brother Eddard, and their foster father Jon, lasted "close to a year".{{Ref|AGOT|12}} Lyanna's exact whereabouts during this time are unknown. Rhaegar himself could not be found, either, for a large part of the war,{{Ref|AWOIAF|Rhaegar Targaryen}} though he finally returned "from the south"{{Ref|ASOS|37}} after King Aerys II had dispatched Ser [[Gerold Hightower]], [[Lord Commander of the Kingsguard]], to find him.{{Ref|AWOIAF|Rhaegar Targaryen}} Robert and Eddard faced Rhaegar and the royal army in the [[Battle of the Trident]], in which Robert slew Rhaegar in single combat at the [[ruby ford]] and the rebels defeated the royal army.{{Ref|AGOT|4}} A fortnight later, the [[Sack of King's Landing]] officially ended the war,{{Ref|TWOIAF|The Fall of the Dragons: The End}} with King Aerys slain by Ser [[Jaime Lannister]] of the Kingsguard.{{ref|AGOT|12}}

Lyanna still remained missing, however, and the last opposition still had to be dealt with. Robert and Eddard had had a falling out after Robert was accepting of the manner at which Rhaegar's wife, [[Elia Martell]], and two young children, Princes [[Rhaenys Targaryen (daughter of Rhaegar)|Rhaenys]] and Prince [[Aegon Targaryen (son of Rhaegar)|Aegon Targaryen]], had been slain by Lord [[Tywin Lannister]]'s men during the Sack of King's Landing.{{Ref|AGOT|12}} From King's Landing, Eddard rode south to the [[stormlands]] to lift the [[siege of Storm's End]]. From there he rode to a place Rhaegar was said to have named the [[tower of joy]], located in the [[Red Mountains]] of [[Dorne]].{{Ref|AGOT|39}}

===Death===
[[File: Asiulus_Promise_Me_Ned.png|thumb|right|350px|"‎Promise me [[Eddard Stark|Ned]]", by Asiulus ©]]

Eddard brought only six companions with him: [[Martyn Cassel]], [[Theo Wull]], [[Ethan Glover]], Ser [[Mark Ryswell]], [[Howland Reed]] and Lord [[Willam Dustin]]. At the [[tower of joy]], they found Ser [[Arthur Dayne]], Ser [[Oswell Whent]], and Ser [[Gerold Hightower]], the three remaining loyalist [[Kingsguard]] of the late [[Aerys II Targaryen]]'s [[Kingsguard]]. The men [[Combat at the tower of joy|met in battle]], with only Eddard and Howland surviving.{{Ref|AGOT|39}}

Inside the tower, Eddard found Lyanna in a "bed of blood"{{Ref|AGOT|39}}{{Ref|AWOIAF|Lyanna Stark}} within a room smelling of "blood and roses".{{Ref|AGOT|4}} A fever had taken her strength, and her voice had been faint as a whisper. There was fear in Lyanna's eyes, while she called for "Ned" to promise her something. When her brother gave his word, the fear left her. She smiled, and her fingers clutched his own in a tight grip.{{Ref|AGOT|4}} Lyanna died shortly thereafter.{{Ref|AGOT|35}} Eddard was still holding her as she "gave up her hold on life" and rose petals slipped from her palm, dead and black. Later, Howland found Eddard still holding the corpse. The [[crannogman]] separated the hands of the living man and the dead girl, though Eddard had no recollection of what happened after Lyanna died.{{Ref|AGOT|4}}

It is unknown what promise Lyanna extracted from Eddard, and what had caused her fear. Lyanna's last words, "Promise me, Ned", would haunt Eddard, who had to pay a price in order to keep his promises to her,{{Ref|AGOT|35}} for the rest of his life.{{Ref|AGOT|47}}{{Ref|AGOT|58}} 

At the time of her death, Lyanna had been sixteen years old.{{Ref|AGOT|4}} Though Eddard buried the bodies of his deceased companions and the three slain Kingsguard [[knight]]s in cairns he created out of the stones from the tower,{{Ref|AGOT|39}} he transported Lyanna's bones from [[Dorne]] back to [[Winterfell]].{{Ref|ADWD|41}} According to Eddard, Lyanna had wanted to be buried beside her father and brother.{{Ref|AGOT|4}} Her tomb lies in the [[crypts of Winterfell]], beside that of Lord [[Rickard Stark|Rickard]] and [[Brandon Stark|Brandon]].{{Ref|AGOT|66}} While only the [[King in the North|kings]] and [[lords of Winterfell]] traditionally have statues made in their likeness, not their family members, both Lyanna and Brandon were given a statue by Eddard because he wished to honor his beloved siblings.{{Ref|AGOT|66}} 

===Legacy===
Lyanna's death and the grief they shared over her passing eventually reconciled [[Eddard Stark]] and the new monarch, King [[Robert I Baratheon]]. Though Robert had no desire to marry after Lyanna's death, he was eventually convinced by Lord [[Jon Arryn]] that [[Seven Kingdoms|the realm]] needed an heir. As such, Robert was wed to [[Cersei Lannister]].{{Ref|AGOT|30}} A drunken Robert called Cersei "Lyanna" while in bed on [[wedding of Robert I Baratheon and Cersei Lannister|their wedding night]],{{Ref|AGOT|45}} however, which began strains in the new marriage. Robert remained in love with Lyanna,{{Ref|AGOT|8}} and he named the beautiful war galley ''[[Lady Lyanna]]'' of the [[royal fleet]] in her honor.{{Ref|ACOK|58}}

At [[Bear Island]], Lady [[Maege Mormont]] named her youngest daughter [[Lyanna Mormont|Lyanna]], after Lyanna Stark, which according to [[Stannis Baratheon]] was an attempt to win the favor of Lord Eddard Stark.{{Ref|ADWD|3}}

Eddard brings flowers to Lyanna's tomb whenever possible, as she had been fond of flowers.{{Ref|AGOT|4}}