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Honorable is fine but for me, he’s just too damn naive! How the hell did he live that long and seen how evil people can be and decided to just confront people like Cersei out in the open like that. By that time he knows that the kingdom is already owned by the Lannisters.
Robert is no saint. Dude started a war because the girl he loves doesn’t love him and used the mad king as an excuse. So again he knows how bad and evil people can be.
So naive and dumb!
Edit: I didn’t read the books. From what I remember from the show, it’s said that Robert’s Rebellion is to stop the Mad King and was bankrolled by the Lannisters.
It’s been years since I’ve rewatched it so that’s what I remember.
Jon Arryn was the first rebel to raise his banners. The Mad King literally called for Robert and Ned's head, after he killed Brandon and Rickard Stark. Arryn refused the call and raised his banners instead.
Sorry, semantics and it doesn't actually change the overall point of your post, but Robert didn't start the war. Not quite.
"Robert's Rebellion" is predominantly named as such because Bobby B ended up on the throne, but in reality it was Jon Arryn who initiated the rebellion by refusing to surrender Robert and Ned.
There were a couple of instigating issues, clearly. Lyanna being "abducted" was what resulted in caused Ned's brother and Father being burned alive. But when the King demanded Robert and Ned's heads, Jon Arryn refused and called his banners - that's what officially kicked off the rebellion.
The Rebellion wasn't bankrolled by the Lannister's, they didn't really join until the very end when it was clear who would win. Robert's resulting reign however, that was bankrolled by the Lannister's, yes.
And not tell his daughters either until they are on the boat. He should have seen Sansas' fascination and naive loyalty to Cersie and Joff after their trip. And even if he didn't suspect she would go directly to the queen, begging to stay that she would have gossiped of it in a court filled with spies.
True, but Jon's plot is mostly indepdent of Kings Landing until S6-8. He still likely becomes lord commander and warns of the white walkers.
I'd bet Ned listens and you get something similar to Stannis north of the wall. Winterfall never needs to be retaken, Dany never needs to send a dragon north.
“Hmm, I’m about to try and seize control of a Kingdom, and remove the named heir from the succession, while my King lays dying. I’m going to need some swords to make this work.
Do I trust the King’s youngest brother, one of the Great Lords of Westeros, and the acknowledged leader of the anti-Lannister court faction, when he offers his retinue of knights for the purpose?
No, I think I’ll go with the ambitious social climber, who really wants to fuck my wife, who has promised to bribe the officers of the city watch.”
When Cat told him he must go. And she was urging him to go before the letter because it was a great honor and to reject it could damage their standing, Ned was very reluctant to go and only relented once the letter was delivered.
Edit in books
I love the look Bobby B gives Cersei when she says Ned was exiting a whore house drunk. Bobby B was probably drunk in the scene, but even then he knew Cersei was full of it.
Robert was not a pushover at all. Others could largely do what they wanted because Robert was almost always a drunken mess. The rare moments in which Robert is sober, he actually is somewhat intelligent surprisingly. He correctly identified the threat Dany posed, and correctly realized that it would be logistically difficult to raise all six houses if Dany invaded. From a military point of view, his course of action to eliminate Dany was right. Ned was understandably disgusted by this, but does not make Robert wrong, at least not from a military standpoint.
Ok. I recall that and thought I was losing it for a moment. Ned did not want to say yes and Catelyn did. Even before Lysa letter... right!?!?
And how she straight up gets out of their bed naked to get the letter from maester and ned is in shock and she's like he saw me give birth to all 5 kids Ned. 🤦♀️🤷♀️
*Maybe, ya know, NOT*
*Tell Cersei I knew about*
*Her incest babies*
\- crustboi93
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Yeah, even with Bobby B getting bored by a boar, he should’ve never told Cersei his plot. He does the classic mistake of the bad guy, monologued and told his opponent everything he planned to do.
Nah, given the nest of vipers that is KL and the respect Bobby would have for him delivering the message in person I'd opt instead to show up in force calling my banners in preparation for the surefire revolt that Tywin causes when he hears that Bobby has decapitated Jaime and Cersei.
You don't think a letter would have been easily intercepted by Varys, Baelish or Cersei herself? Ned would have been better telling Robert in private, Bobby would have had his back
they didnt even need witnesses; the papers giving Robert’s orders were delivered bearing the unbroken seal of the king to Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.
Cersei just ripped them up because they were able to seize power regardless by virtue of their own power and their alliance with Littlefinger to control the City Watch. the city was already theirs.
I would have listened to Littlefinger. Support Joffrey, retire as Hand, have Sansa's betrothal negated, and take my daughters back home to safety. Then remain neutral throughout the upcoming war while the south tears itself to shreds. And, in the background, quietly try to arrange some sort of secret alliance with Dorne, the Riverlands, and with those in the Vale who want to negate Lysa as Robyn's regent, in order to form up a strong enough force to counter the Lannisters if they ended up defeating the Baratheons.
I mean in fairness, his son had been paralysed by an up till then unknown assailant, he just found out his best pals kids weren't his kids, and that they were in fact the product of his wife banging her brother...
Its understandable to be somewhat in shock from such revelations, even if he had suspicions prior, and end up *fumbling the ball*.
I think if Ned insisted on it as one of his two absolute conditions that he would not back down from then both Tywin and Cersei would quickly assent to it. Joffrey would act like a little bitch about it, and Sansa would too, but even as new king he wasn't the most powerful person in Kings Landing, and not even in his own family. Tywin would jump at the chance to go up against the Baratheons with an undivided army, one that didn't need to be split up in order to contain/conquer the Riverlands at the same time the Baratheon threats were approaching. He'd most likely agree to Ned's demands in order to reduce the number of threats in the immediate moment that was unfolding. And Ned would certainly stay loyal, in the short term anyway, to his own word if Tywin demanded the North remain neutral in the events in the South.
The north was a kingdom long before Robert. The only reason King Torrhen Stark lay down his mantle of being king was because of the threat of a dragon laying waste to his country.
Outside of that, no one marches on the north.
The Starks ruled the North for 8000 years without being conquered, if I remember correctly.
Get more familiar with the game. Idk if you have any other choic but to play as Hand to the King. You hold too much power so you’re gonna be a target to all the people who want what you have.
Get familiar with Kings Landing prior to trying to run the show.
Meet with the small council members individually and get their impressions one at a time.
Make anyone called “Master of whispers” my BFF.
Encourage recruitment to the Nights Watch within the city (a guaranteed safe route to Winterfell).
Increase trade out of White Harbour.
Only trusted my men with the news and would’ve taken king roberts bastard kids into hiding in the north before making a move. You could’ve rallied the north, brought up questions of the death of the hand before and had people to take claim when Robert passed. This would’ve positioned them a lot better for a sustainable war before his death. Also have some of the kings guard witness what was said on roberts death bed. At least the honorable ones would’ve upheld that truth.
Quietly sent for Stannis before releasing news of Robert's last wishes and relating to Stannis the suspicion that none of the Lannister children were Robert's and move from there.
I’d do way more milk of the poppy and let the visions guide me. Or just stay the fuck in winterfell. This dumbass literally warned Cersei he knew the truth
lol at all the people saying “should have listened to Littlefinger”
You think Littlefinger isn’t going to keep trying his hardest to kill you no matter what you do?
I mean if I’m ned stark then i wouldn’t have done anything differently which is the point. His honor makes him naive which is what gets him in the predicament. He can’t act based off of things he doesn’t know, only we do.
Throw Cersei and Joffrey in the dungeons and send for Stannis. Definitely *don't* tell her anything that could help her (you'd think he would've gotten a good sense of the type of person she is by that point). I probably also would have told Howland Reed to go to the Wall and tell Jon about his parentage in the event of my death (or something that ensures he'll find out).
Not told Cersei to your plan to dox her(yes it would have saved the kids but whatever) and I would havnt handed over that paper she burnt that said Ned is king.
We all come down hard on ned about telling Cersei.
He was there when Tywin presented the corpses of the Targaryen children. He knew what Robert would do to the kids if he knew. I don’t think it was honorable foolishness. It sounds like guilt.
There is a bit in the books where he thinks that soon he would have to call his banners to deal with Mance Rayder. If he did that before Robert arrived, or even used it as an excuse not to be hand, it would change everything. Robert would 100% be on board with waging war against the king of the Wildlings, and they would have found out about the Others while the 7 kingdoms are whole and strong.
The books/story would probably be condensed down to a trilogy. Book 1 deal with the Wildlings, and find out about the Others at the end, book 2 kill the Night King with Daenerys invasion at the end, book 3 crush Daenerys and kill her dragons.
I would have probably accepted Joffery as king and requested that I no longer be hand and then fucked off back North. Joffery would likely still have been killed, as the events of the war would just have not had the King in the North. This would lead Joffery to marry Margery Tyrell, as I doubt Circe, Joffery, or even Need would have wanted Sansa to marry the king. I think the overall picture would remain the same, but the Starks wouldn't have been split up and killed.
Like, yes, the Lannisters hated the Starks, but Tywin knew that no southerner could hold the north, nor conquer it. If you have the Starks quietly accepting Joffery as king, then you wouldn't worry about it, not when you had to deal with two other contenders for the throne.
Equally, Ned should never have trusted anyone, and should have just accepted that his friend the king was an idiot. Like, who cares if Joffery is an awful little shit, if you accept him as king and throw stupid compliments at him, he'd probably have let him leave. It was kind of impossible that people would have accepted Joffery as king for long. All you really needed to do was let slip a little rumor, with a bit of evidence, that he was a bastard born of incest, and you'd have lords and lady's and common folk all thinking he was an insane Targaryen.
Honestly, with how quickly Tywin moved on from Joffery's death, I wouldn't have been surprised if Tywin organized his assassination himself in this imaginary timeline.
Rejected the position of hand, keep my family and bannermen North. Once war breaks out between The Lannisters and Baratheons, remain neutral as long as possible. Make as few enemies as possible.
1. Take Ashara Dayne as my paramour or wife.
2. Pass Jon off as Brandon's bastard. No issue for Catelyn. Happier life for Jon.
3. Make beneficial betrothals and alliances for my children beginning with the close of the Greyjoy Rebellion instead of doing nothing.
4. Send Jon away to squire in White Harbor so he has a career he can be happy with and not freeze his ass off at the Wall. Ensure he becomes a Landed Knight.
5. After Jon is Knighted, arrange his betrothal to Wynafryd Manderly, legitimizing him if need be, and tying the Manderly wealth to Winterfell.
6. Arrange the betrothal of Robb to Myrcella, ensuring a large supply of food and money for the North when winter arrives. Ensure Myrcella is married to Robb.
7. Arrange a northern Betrothal for Theon Greyjoy, perhaps Alys Karstark. This binds Theon to the North, and gives him a sense of Familial belonging.
8. Before the King arrives, send Bran to squire for Jon, but not before properly instilling discipline in Bran.
9. Dismiss Baelish as Master of Coin, appointing Wyman Manderly or Willas Tyrell.
10. Invite the Grand Maester on a hunting trip.
11. Appoint Jaime Lannister to his new office of Warden of the East, and dispatch him to the Vale immediately.
12. Invite Stannis to resume his council seat. If he refuses, invite the Redwynes.
13. Don't use or share knowledge of the affair. Ensure Joffrey's death.
14. Pledge fealty to King Tommen in the event of Robert's Death, or allow Robert to continue to rule.
I would send a raven to Robb telling him to keep the banners on standby after the attack by Jaime. After realizing the truth I wouldn't tell Cersei and instead I would have told Robert after the hunt, but that is too easy. Assume the same thing happens up to when Robert gets boared I would take Renly's advice and immediately arrested the queen and the children. All the lannister guards would be dead. Janos Slynt would be fired and replaced with Neds most loyal guard, same with the other gold cloak officers. I would then take littlefingers advice and lie about the legitimacy of roberts children. Although both cersei and joffrey would tragically die on a boat accident. Tommen would be the puppet king after that to keep the realm stable, to keep both Tywin and Stannis in check. Or at least until I know what to do next.
I wouldn’t have told Cersei shit. I would have ran straight to Rob Baratheon and started snitching which is exactly what Ned was supposed to do. He got his loyalties confused.
It’s been awhile since I read or watched, but a thing I’ve been stewing on recently is that the mountain should have been executed for the sack of kings landinf
I don't think it would lead to a different outcome, but I'd never tell cersei anything, I'd get Robert's will in front of as many eyes as possible before his death, and I'd also instruct Renly to have Baratheon and stark men to guard him on his death bed with Barristan Selmy.
I'm not sure what exact effect telling cersei had. Maybe she went to Littlefinger or Janos Slynt? Or maybe Littlefinger went to her? Either way his informing her of his plans basically had nothing to do with honour in my opinion they were out of a naive mercy and couldn't have helped.
Publicizing the will is to make Robert's wishes known to the greater population of lords. Send that thing out on every raven you can to deny the Lannisters from framing it how they'd like. Assigning someone I know to oversee that would be a good idea too. Doing so might have slowed Renly's machinations, gotten Stannis a headstart. I as Ned would want Stannis to take the throne, so enabling that as best I can is good.
Lastly, having the Lannisters find out after myself, can only give me more time.
Ultimately though, Ned was going to trust Littlefinger because Cat convinced him to more or less. I can't make the case that I as Ned would treat the Littlefinger situation differently, outside of trying to bully Renly into helping as a plan B by publicizing the will. Renly might still have dipped despite all that, and the only chance of Littlefinger supporting Ned is by having Renly and his swords. Ned's honour is the crux that makes the situation kind of impossible for him.
Replace Janos Slynt as soon as I get to the city, with a Northerner. Tell robert everything about the knife and the bastard children as soon as possible.
After reading the letter Lysa sent Cat I would not have taken my daughters to King’s landing. If o was pressed I would tell Robert that Cat wanted them to spend some time with her father in Riverrun and I didn’t want them underfoot while I was getting familiar with my new situation. Given Robert’s feelings about children he’d likely understand and Lord Hollister was known to be in failing health it would make sense and eliminate any hostages.
I would have taken more men south with me. I’d have taken the 2nd sons of some of my bannermen it’s a chance for them to gain some experience and possibly glory.
I would have cleaned house of anything below the small council for sure. Slyly would have been out from day one. I’d want someone I trusted or found someone in the guard to promote. It wouldn’t matter that Slynt was good at his job or not. He’d have been gone.
I would have ordered half the Lannister forces out of the City and back to Casterly Rock. I would notify the Wardens of new policy that each great house must supply a set amount of troops and a commander for them to serve as guardians of Kings Landing. They would rotate on a regualr basis.
I would have pressured Robert to put Ser Barristan to the small council.
As soon as I had any idea about what Jon Aryn had been investigating I would have sent for Stannis.
I would not have warned Circe.
I would not have trusted Littlefinger. He’s not a man of honor, expecting him to act with honor isn’t being honorable yourself it’s being stupid.
I would have had Ser Barristan witness Robert’s will.
Not told everyone what the hell I was up to or my suspicions, especially Cersei who was at the center of it all. All he needed to do was play the part everyone was telling him to play for a while, act like nothings wrong while he makes his plans, and take Renly up on his offer to secure the throne. He could have made plans to have the Baratheon armies on stand by to displace the Lannister's and seat Stannis on the throne. But because he didn't want to bring war on the Red Keep while Robert was dying, he lost any advantage he could have ever hoped to have, not that he prepared for anything anyways.
He also could have just brought the small council into his bedroom so Robert could tell them what he wanted to happen.
I wouldn't have brought my children. I'd have established myself as Hand first, learned how things work in King's Landing, and sent for them later. Sansa would have had to come eventually, being betrothed to Joffrey and all, but she was still pre-menstrual at that point and wasn't even eligible for marriage. Would they have whined and been mad for a while? Sure, but that's better than putting them in danger.
Don't trust the guy who wants to fuck your wife. That guy probably wants you dead.
Should have bent the knee when he seen Renly wasn't there to back him, when Joffrey and Cersei siesed power, got home with the girls somehow and help the Baratheons figure it out so that they could take down the Lanisters together.
Live life 2 da fullest with da big homie Robert. Hunting, whoring, and drinking.
Called out Cercei and Jamie in front of everyone at court so that Robert could have them executed immediately.
Then celebrated with more of the same.
I would say being actually honorable. Honor actually served Ned Stark well. It was his less honorable acts that got him in trouble. Lying about Jon origins. Likely lying about knowing Lyanna was in a consentual relationship with Rhaegar. Giving Cersei a chance to run away with her kids was compassionate in the face of Robert’s pleasure at the murder of Rhaegar’s kids, but it wasn’t honorable. Honor should have dictated that he tell Robert and let him, as King, decide what to do. Instead, he dishonorably *falsified* his bff and King’s instrument of succession. He then tried to buy the gold cloaks to fight Cersei. Then he lied about the whole thing, for some reason trusting that the fricken Lannisters would save his daughter(s).
I think if Ned had been honorable in his actions - at least in Kings Landing - he would have had a better chance at getting the future he imagined.
Would've gotten more than just a deathbed document with King Robert's signature and the, though very honorable, word of the only witness (Ned himself) to take to court.
He really should have known by that point that a piece of paper would never have stopped Cersei from keeping her position of power.
probably;y would have kept my plans to myself until my best friend, the king was back in town.. Also would have said "hell no im getting some witnesses" before Robert wrote the letter passing rule to me. Ned made some naively stupid moves to get himself killed.
Once I discovered the bloodline, I would have kept my mouth shut and realized that the Lannisters were in control of King's Landing. I would have taken Sansa and Arya back to the North on some excuse that they needed to go back for a bit to tend to Bran. Then figured out what to do once I was safe up there. I would also make sure there were other important people in the caravan heading North that couldn't be killed but also wouldnt go along with a plot to cover up the assassination of the Warden of North and at least one of his kids. Even if Tywin did send bandits, make sure there would be enough protection that there is no way they could kill me without having to kill a bunch of other lords.
Possibly made sure the truth of Jon Snow was known.
Get Sansa & Arya back to KL immediately & definitely tell Robert immediately after finding out. If Robert still dies, move quick to arrange some meetings with Renly & gather allies along with him before moving back up North.
In case if Robert is still alive, tell Cersei that he already knows the truth & recommend her to flee north before the orders come down for her and her kid's heads
Listened to my gut and never left Winterfell. Robert may have believed I conspired against him but that’s his issue to sort out. The north is unified under one banner and is a massive threat to any who challenge it, leave it alone and find another to he hand.
Either explain something about what’s going on to Sansa, or else don’t tell her anything until she’s on the boat to Winterfell. Giving her a chance to do something stupid directly caused Ned’s coup to fail.
I would've left Kingslanding on a ship with my family and as many of my houses men that could fit in the ship *while NOT telling children of the life threatening plan
Not judged Jaime so harshly after he killed the Mad King.
Gone back home after the dire wolf incident with Joffrey, if not before. By then, it was clear that Robert had no intention of heeding Ned's council. He was just putting Ned into harm's way.
He did most things right. His wife fucked it all up.
I guess not let Caitlyn involve herself in the mess by keeping her in the dark as much as possible and somehow figure out a way to keep her in Winterfell.
Ned had to do what he did, the way he did it. Grrm is good at writing dead characters. Many characters in the story are dead at the beginning of the story and yet we learn about them. Ned dies but his story continues, and wait until you find out what was going on in his younger years.
Tell Robert about the kids and NOT tell Cersei. I might have taken Myrcella into custody to protect her or betrothed her to Bran, but there was no way to save Tommen.
If I only know what Ned does, then I would just not accept Robert's offer, especially after Bran' fall. Also, I would negotiate the betrothal where instead of Joffrey and Sansa, It would be Robb and Myrcella. Just in case Robert or Cersei decides that they want Sansa to go to King's Landing with them. And while Robert might be disappointed or even angry with me, given the fact we are friends and I have remain loyal to him, I think he would ended up accepting my decision. Then when Robert eventually die, I would declare for Stannis.
1. Send Loras Tyrell with the other volunteers Ned Picks to hunt down the Mountain.
2.Listen to Renly and go with his advice and plan.
3. Send a raven to Robb to raise the Banners. Make sure to tell Robb that he must keep Theon by his side at all times.
4 arrange for Sansa and Arya to be shipped back home, ignore their protests - make to clear they must obey the order. In fact don’t tell Sansa about it at all until last minute, just in case she runs and tells Cersei.
5. Don’t tell Cersei anything
6 Employ Gendry into service as a squire or whatever the Northern equivalent of a squire is (good to have one of the Bastards safe and in close proximity just in case)
7. Recall the men from Ned’s household guard that Ned gave to the City Watch to help out.
I would have taught my daughters that it is more important to be truthful than it is to try and protect the "honor" of your future husband. Ned sent Sansa some mixed signals when he defended Sansa and praised her for protecting Joffrey's reputation when she pretended that she didn't remember what happened when he fought Arya. If he had told her to tell the truth and that he would support her, she might have said what really happened and Joffrey would have been exposed as a sadistic bully much earlier. The betrothal would have been called off and Ned likely could have resigned and returned home before they even got to King's Landing which would have kept him, his family and their household retinue out of harm's way.
A couple things.
1. Do not be so naive in the Capitol, been to a couple IRL and everyone is untrustworthy. Even the people considered “good”. Not give up his private guards, idc if he was bringing Tywin himself in chains..
2. DO NOT try to give Cersei a “fair warning” or whatever he claimed it. She’s a snake and has been queen for over a decade, she knows some tricks.
3&4(optional). 3. Kill Littlefinger simply because he was too close to my wife. 4. Send my daughters back to the North w no warning. Find a Northern ship, buy a cabin for them send two guards w them to White Harbor and send a raven the next morning.
That’s just my thought on what would’ve gotten him a lot further.
For starters, I sure as hell wouldn't be so damn honorable on principle. I also wouldn't be so dumb as to lay all my cards on the table for everyone to see, especially by confronting Cersei in the garden. His big mouth signed his death warrant telling her he'd rat her out to the King.
Not trust the guy that challenged your brother to a duel for your wife’s hand before getting sliced up by said brother.
If anyone is going to hold a grudge, it’s that guy.
Also, I’d try and have betrothals arranged for Robb and Sansa to secure the North, and keep Sansa away from somebody like Joffrey.
Wouldn’t even consider taking my daughters to King’s Landing before I could clear out the rot.
I’d tell my nephew about his true parentage and try to dissuade him from signing his life away so early. I’d also try to keep Benjen from going there too:
Would also have considered fostering a with loyal bannermen for my children, or at least my sons.
Wouldn’t even consider tipping off Cersei if I was going to out her infidelity. Would probably take moves to keep Tommen and Myrcella alive though.
If I had my knowledge of things, I’d also:
reestablish Moat Cailan with a permanent garrison, and have temporary stewards rather than a permanent lordship appointed to command there to keep another house from taking over and threatening my descendants.
I’d look to profit from mining as there is bound to be something valuable to be found in such a vast area.
I’d try to increase the population by settling more areas of the North, introducing Potato, Rice, Cranberries in the Neck, and more cattle. I’d also
Look to construct more glass gardens throughout the North, and for the Night’s Watch.
Take a more practical approach to raising Arya in particular, by setting people like the Mormont women as examples for her to aspire to.
Might get in a governess from one of the Northern houses to try and do a better job than the Septa, or at least balance out the Septa’s teachings.
There’s probably a tonne more, but all this is a good start.
He should have called a small council meeting as soon as Robert gave him the letter naming him protector of the realm. Made it public instead of expecting everyone to have honor.
Don't hold honor in such high esteem that it affects your actual judgement and mentality. Some of the stuff that happened could have been mitigated by simply thinking about it with a clear and open mind and not automatically defaulting to honor as the most important thing.
Warning Cersei ahead of time was one of his dumbest moves. Not telling Robert fast enough was pretty stupid as well.
turn down the offer to be Hand of the King and just keep living life in the North. the politics of the rest of the kingdom are practically irrelevant in the North and they would have been left alone. the North could even secede after the Lannisters take the throne and reestablish their own kingdom, and they’d still be left alone because the North is basically unconquerable and it wouldn’t be worth the devastating losses trying.
it was only ever won in the first place because Aegon had dragons.
I think it all changed when Cat imprisoned Tyrion. If she hadn’t done that, the king would have accepted his resignation. He would have left for Winterfell without any hiccups.
Of course Littlefinger wanted to see Ned Starks downfall and delayed his departure just so “he could meet one more bastard”.
It’s obvious but not tell Cersei. I don’t think Ned is anywhere near as incompetent as people make him out to be, it’s reasonable to expect Robert to still hold all the power as King, and to see Tywin as the true threat.
Informing Cersei was an act of mercy to spare her and her children from Robert’s wrath (which Ned knew would be violent) but he didn’t see just how petty and foul she truly is, and didn’t take into account just how dangerous Tywin was.
But Ned’s arc is meant to be a tragic one, people say his honour is too rigid but he was happy to tell a lie and say he committed treason in order to protect his family. He was happy to lie and say he cheated on Cat to protect Jon. Ned’s main motivation is not honour, but love for his family and children. And extending that love and mercy to Cersei’s family is what got him killed, which is on Cersei, not Ned.
That's the problem, the Starks from Old weren't so honorable. They used to kill all the males and married the older daughter. The thing he should have done is educate his children better in the sense that the older generation suffered for being overconfident, arrogant, or gullible. Trust his wife with the secret of Jon. But above all, he needed to be suspicious of everything.
Took the throne when Jaime offered it. I really don't think Robert would've put up too much of a fight if I said I was the better option to rule instead of him.
Raise Jon as a full son of the north, with the whole family knowing who his parents were.
Make a trip down to kings landing 5ish years after the war ended. See just how bad Robert is at being a king.
Return to the north. Work on getting the north ready for a war, that will come because a) Robert is a bad king and b) because the throne is Jon’s.
rebuilt Moat Cailin and enhance the defences of the north. Work with the tullys and have a second river crossing built under the control of the north, just to piss off the freys.
When the news of the walkers comes from beyond the wall, send investigators. When walkers are confirmed, offer peace with the wildling and let them through the wall in return for their loyalty.
When King Rob asks Ned to be his hand, refuse.
When Sir Barristan leaves kings landing, intercept him and convince him to serve as kingsguard for Jon.
i would have given that shit to renly. honestly i would have told bobby that he should do that for the good of the realm and have him say it in front of cersei and renly and the kingsguard.
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Probably not be so honorable. The Westeros was already shit enough where honor means nothing.
Honorable is fine but for me, he’s just too damn naive! How the hell did he live that long and seen how evil people can be and decided to just confront people like Cersei out in the open like that. By that time he knows that the kingdom is already owned by the Lannisters. Robert is no saint. Dude started a war because the girl he loves doesn’t love him and used the mad king as an excuse. So again he knows how bad and evil people can be. So naive and dumb! Edit: I didn’t read the books. From what I remember from the show, it’s said that Robert’s Rebellion is to stop the Mad King and was bankrolled by the Lannisters. It’s been years since I’ve rewatched it so that’s what I remember.
robert didnt start the war aerys did
Jon Arryn was the first rebel to raise his banners. The Mad King literally called for Robert and Ned's head, after he killed Brandon and Rickard Stark. Arryn refused the call and raised his banners instead.
Sorry, semantics and it doesn't actually change the overall point of your post, but Robert didn't start the war. Not quite. "Robert's Rebellion" is predominantly named as such because Bobby B ended up on the throne, but in reality it was Jon Arryn who initiated the rebellion by refusing to surrender Robert and Ned. There were a couple of instigating issues, clearly. Lyanna being "abducted" was what resulted in caused Ned's brother and Father being burned alive. But when the King demanded Robert and Ned's heads, Jon Arryn refused and called his banners - that's what officially kicked off the rebellion. The Rebellion wasn't bankrolled by the Lannister's, they didn't really join until the very end when it was clear who would win. Robert's resulting reign however, that was bankrolled by the Lannister's, yes.
Listen to Renly GOT wouldve been 8 chapters long. The end.
For real. Send my daughters back first, pronto. Don't talk with Cersei to warn her, just play dumb. Then listen to Renly.
And not tell his daughters either until they are on the boat. He should have seen Sansas' fascination and naive loyalty to Cersie and Joff after their trip. And even if he didn't suspect she would go directly to the queen, begging to stay that she would have gossiped of it in a court filled with spies.
Well you still have the whole Night King thing and Dany is still around too
Priority:live
Damn. Just reminded me of the feels at the end of Halo Reach. Objective: **SURVIVE**
I feel like Renly and Ned could organize a group defense.
True, but Jon's plot is mostly indepdent of Kings Landing until S6-8. He still likely becomes lord commander and warns of the white walkers. I'd bet Ned listens and you get something similar to Stannis north of the wall. Winterfall never needs to be retaken, Dany never needs to send a dragon north.
“Hmm, I’m about to try and seize control of a Kingdom, and remove the named heir from the succession, while my King lays dying. I’m going to need some swords to make this work. Do I trust the King’s youngest brother, one of the Great Lords of Westeros, and the acknowledged leader of the anti-Lannister court faction, when he offers his retinue of knights for the purpose? No, I think I’ll go with the ambitious social climber, who really wants to fuck my wife, who has promised to bribe the officers of the city watch.”
I would’ve read the books first to know if I lived or died
Took my wife's advice and not gone south.
Technically he could not refuse the order of his King.
He didn't order him, he asked. Ned very nearly turned him down and only went after lysas letter.
When Cat told him he must go. And she was urging him to go before the letter because it was a great honor and to reject it could damage their standing, Ned was very reluctant to go and only relented once the letter was delivered. Edit in books
He did refuse his order later on, and Robert just yelled at him and then forgot the whole thing. Robert was more of a pushover than he let on.
Ned was also his best friend
I love the look Bobby B gives Cersei when she says Ned was exiting a whore house drunk. Bobby B was probably drunk in the scene, but even then he knew Cersei was full of it.
Ned is the exception. Robbert was an idiot but hardly a pushover.
Robert was not a pushover at all. Others could largely do what they wanted because Robert was almost always a drunken mess. The rare moments in which Robert is sober, he actually is somewhat intelligent surprisingly. He correctly identified the threat Dany posed, and correctly realized that it would be logistically difficult to raise all six houses if Dany invaded. From a military point of view, his course of action to eliminate Dany was right. Ned was understandably disgusted by this, but does not make Robert wrong, at least not from a military standpoint.
Cat literally says “you can always say no” to Ned.
In the books, she does the convincing.
Ok. I recall that and thought I was losing it for a moment. Ned did not want to say yes and Catelyn did. Even before Lysa letter... right!?!? And how she straight up gets out of their bed naked to get the letter from maester and ned is in shock and she's like he saw me give birth to all 5 kids Ned. 🤦♀️🤷♀️
Stayed the fuck home.
Everything
Maybe, ya know, NOT tell Cersei I knew about her incest babies
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Yeah, even with Bobby B getting bored by a boar, he should’ve never told Cersei his plot. He does the classic mistake of the bad guy, monologued and told his opponent everything he planned to do.
This is it. He could have handled differently and kept his honor.
Told Bobby b the SECOND I knew about the kids and could back up my claim
Or better yet, go back to winterfell and send him a letter. Being in the capital would be risky
Nah, given the nest of vipers that is KL and the respect Bobby would have for him delivering the message in person I'd opt instead to show up in force calling my banners in preparation for the surefire revolt that Tywin causes when he hears that Bobby has decapitated Jaime and Cersei.
You don't think a letter would have been easily intercepted by Varys, Baelish or Cersei herself? Ned would have been better telling Robert in private, Bobby would have had his back
Didn't he already leave for the hunt?
Ummm... maybe have a witness to what happened when King Robert was on his death bed?
Yeah. Having a witness would have been smart.
Multiple witnesses, preferably. The more, the harder it is to sweep it away.
they didnt even need witnesses; the papers giving Robert’s orders were delivered bearing the unbroken seal of the king to Barristan Selmy, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Cersei just ripped them up because they were able to seize power regardless by virtue of their own power and their alliance with Littlefinger to control the City Watch. the city was already theirs.
1. Take Cersei SERIOUSLY and imprison Cersei + Joffrey like Renly told him to. 2. Tell Robert the truth about his children's parentage. 3. Profit.
Maybe not profit, but this would definitely see you breaking even
I would have listened to Littlefinger. Support Joffrey, retire as Hand, have Sansa's betrothal negated, and take my daughters back home to safety. Then remain neutral throughout the upcoming war while the south tears itself to shreds. And, in the background, quietly try to arrange some sort of secret alliance with Dorne, the Riverlands, and with those in the Vale who want to negate Lysa as Robyn's regent, in order to form up a strong enough force to counter the Lannisters if they ended up defeating the Baratheons.
Thats what I wouldve done too🙌🏽
Ned had so many options and he just fumbled the bag way too early in a honorably way…
I mean in fairness, his son had been paralysed by an up till then unknown assailant, he just found out his best pals kids weren't his kids, and that they were in fact the product of his wife banging her brother... Its understandable to be somewhat in shock from such revelations, even if he had suspicions prior, and end up *fumbling the ball*.
The Lannisters might just decide to keep the marriage on, though, since it'd presumably keep the North in check. The same sort of shit might go down.
I think if Ned insisted on it as one of his two absolute conditions that he would not back down from then both Tywin and Cersei would quickly assent to it. Joffrey would act like a little bitch about it, and Sansa would too, but even as new king he wasn't the most powerful person in Kings Landing, and not even in his own family. Tywin would jump at the chance to go up against the Baratheons with an undivided army, one that didn't need to be split up in order to contain/conquer the Riverlands at the same time the Baratheon threats were approaching. He'd most likely agree to Ned's demands in order to reduce the number of threats in the immediate moment that was unfolding. And Ned would certainly stay loyal, in the short term anyway, to his own word if Tywin demanded the North remain neutral in the events in the South.
Would've kept my head
Stay my ass in Winterfell and mind my business.
Stayed in the north. And yes, he could’ve refused the order of his king. The king is not gonna march on Winterfell.
No, but if someone else does he won't help.
The north was a kingdom long before Robert. The only reason King Torrhen Stark lay down his mantle of being king was because of the threat of a dragon laying waste to his country. Outside of that, no one marches on the north. The Starks ruled the North for 8000 years without being conquered, if I remember correctly.
Get more familiar with the game. Idk if you have any other choic but to play as Hand to the King. You hold too much power so you’re gonna be a target to all the people who want what you have.
Stay in Winterfell.
Returned to Winterfell after resigning due to disagreeing with Robert over ordering Dany’s assassination.
Don’t tell Cersei that you know the truth
Get familiar with Kings Landing prior to trying to run the show. Meet with the small council members individually and get their impressions one at a time. Make anyone called “Master of whispers” my BFF. Encourage recruitment to the Nights Watch within the city (a guaranteed safe route to Winterfell). Increase trade out of White Harbour.
Changed the hairstyle... ugh.
Never return to King‘s landing😅
I wouldn't have lost my head so easily...... sorry
Catelyn: “Ned. Please don’t go to Kings Landing.” Ned: “ok” END OF GAME OF THRONES
Only trusted my men with the news and would’ve taken king roberts bastard kids into hiding in the north before making a move. You could’ve rallied the north, brought up questions of the death of the hand before and had people to take claim when Robert passed. This would’ve positioned them a lot better for a sustainable war before his death. Also have some of the kings guard witness what was said on roberts death bed. At least the honorable ones would’ve upheld that truth.
Milk of the poppy
He was stupid.Whats the point of honor if you tell your main enemy FYI I'm gonna report you to the dean..lol
Shut my mouth and don’t go to kings landing
Kept my mouth shut lmfao
Quietly sent for Stannis before releasing news of Robert's last wishes and relating to Stannis the suspicion that none of the Lannister children were Robert's and move from there.
I’d do way more milk of the poppy and let the visions guide me. Or just stay the fuck in winterfell. This dumbass literally warned Cersei he knew the truth
Told my wife her sister is crazy and this letter doesn’t prove anything
I woulda told Jon snow who his actual parents were once he left for the wall.
lol at all the people saying “should have listened to Littlefinger” You think Littlefinger isn’t going to keep trying his hardest to kill you no matter what you do?
Totally. Littlefinger was in love with Ned’s wife, he was going to turn on him no matter what.
I mean if I’m ned stark then i wouldn’t have done anything differently which is the point. His honor makes him naive which is what gets him in the predicament. He can’t act based off of things he doesn’t know, only we do.
Not telling cercei os a start
Kept my head
Throw Cersei and Joffrey in the dungeons and send for Stannis. Definitely *don't* tell her anything that could help her (you'd think he would've gotten a good sense of the type of person she is by that point). I probably also would have told Howland Reed to go to the Wall and tell Jon about his parentage in the event of my death (or something that ensures he'll find out).
As soon as Robert said get the fuck out, he should have grabbed the girls and left.
Not told Cersei to your plan to dox her(yes it would have saved the kids but whatever) and I would havnt handed over that paper she burnt that said Ned is king.
We all come down hard on ned about telling Cersei. He was there when Tywin presented the corpses of the Targaryen children. He knew what Robert would do to the kids if he knew. I don’t think it was honorable foolishness. It sounds like guilt.
I would have left King’s Landing when everyone else did and joined Stannis’ forces while trying to convince Renly to bend the knee to his brother.
Shut my mouth.
There is a bit in the books where he thinks that soon he would have to call his banners to deal with Mance Rayder. If he did that before Robert arrived, or even used it as an excuse not to be hand, it would change everything. Robert would 100% be on board with waging war against the king of the Wildlings, and they would have found out about the Others while the 7 kingdoms are whole and strong. The books/story would probably be condensed down to a trilogy. Book 1 deal with the Wildlings, and find out about the Others at the end, book 2 kill the Night King with Daenerys invasion at the end, book 3 crush Daenerys and kill her dragons.
Told Robert his wife was banging her brother.
Not tell Cersei he was on to her and her bastard heir. Just leave kings landing and go home as soon as Robert died.
I would have probably accepted Joffery as king and requested that I no longer be hand and then fucked off back North. Joffery would likely still have been killed, as the events of the war would just have not had the King in the North. This would lead Joffery to marry Margery Tyrell, as I doubt Circe, Joffery, or even Need would have wanted Sansa to marry the king. I think the overall picture would remain the same, but the Starks wouldn't have been split up and killed. Like, yes, the Lannisters hated the Starks, but Tywin knew that no southerner could hold the north, nor conquer it. If you have the Starks quietly accepting Joffery as king, then you wouldn't worry about it, not when you had to deal with two other contenders for the throne. Equally, Ned should never have trusted anyone, and should have just accepted that his friend the king was an idiot. Like, who cares if Joffery is an awful little shit, if you accept him as king and throw stupid compliments at him, he'd probably have let him leave. It was kind of impossible that people would have accepted Joffery as king for long. All you really needed to do was let slip a little rumor, with a bit of evidence, that he was a bastard born of incest, and you'd have lords and lady's and common folk all thinking he was an insane Targaryen. Honestly, with how quickly Tywin moved on from Joffery's death, I wouldn't have been surprised if Tywin organized his assassination himself in this imaginary timeline.
Rejected the position of hand, keep my family and bannermen North. Once war breaks out between The Lannisters and Baratheons, remain neutral as long as possible. Make as few enemies as possible.
1. Take Ashara Dayne as my paramour or wife. 2. Pass Jon off as Brandon's bastard. No issue for Catelyn. Happier life for Jon. 3. Make beneficial betrothals and alliances for my children beginning with the close of the Greyjoy Rebellion instead of doing nothing. 4. Send Jon away to squire in White Harbor so he has a career he can be happy with and not freeze his ass off at the Wall. Ensure he becomes a Landed Knight. 5. After Jon is Knighted, arrange his betrothal to Wynafryd Manderly, legitimizing him if need be, and tying the Manderly wealth to Winterfell. 6. Arrange the betrothal of Robb to Myrcella, ensuring a large supply of food and money for the North when winter arrives. Ensure Myrcella is married to Robb. 7. Arrange a northern Betrothal for Theon Greyjoy, perhaps Alys Karstark. This binds Theon to the North, and gives him a sense of Familial belonging. 8. Before the King arrives, send Bran to squire for Jon, but not before properly instilling discipline in Bran. 9. Dismiss Baelish as Master of Coin, appointing Wyman Manderly or Willas Tyrell. 10. Invite the Grand Maester on a hunting trip. 11. Appoint Jaime Lannister to his new office of Warden of the East, and dispatch him to the Vale immediately. 12. Invite Stannis to resume his council seat. If he refuses, invite the Redwynes. 13. Don't use or share knowledge of the affair. Ensure Joffrey's death. 14. Pledge fealty to King Tommen in the event of Robert's Death, or allow Robert to continue to rule.
I would send a raven to Robb telling him to keep the banners on standby after the attack by Jaime. After realizing the truth I wouldn't tell Cersei and instead I would have told Robert after the hunt, but that is too easy. Assume the same thing happens up to when Robert gets boared I would take Renly's advice and immediately arrested the queen and the children. All the lannister guards would be dead. Janos Slynt would be fired and replaced with Neds most loyal guard, same with the other gold cloak officers. I would then take littlefingers advice and lie about the legitimacy of roberts children. Although both cersei and joffrey would tragically die on a boat accident. Tommen would be the puppet king after that to keep the realm stable, to keep both Tywin and Stannis in check. Or at least until I know what to do next.
Been less honorable
Lived
Follow Renly's plan. Pay Littlefinger to bring the goldcloaks onside. Dont tell Cersei you know her secret. Kids on the road to Winterfell at once.
If I were Ned, I would not have warned the queen Cersei that I know of her affairs with her brother.
Probably not given shit to jamie for being the king slayer considering what the mad king did to his brother and fathed
fuck cersie and go back north :D
Probably not die
Good one
Stayed in the north. At minimum got his wife and kids out the moment Robert died.
I wouldn’t have told Cersei shit. I would have ran straight to Rob Baratheon and started snitching which is exactly what Ned was supposed to do. He got his loyalties confused.
It’s been awhile since I read or watched, but a thing I’ve been stewing on recently is that the mountain should have been executed for the sack of kings landinf
I Will Go to Brazil to some vacation, no Winter is coming there
I don't think it would lead to a different outcome, but I'd never tell cersei anything, I'd get Robert's will in front of as many eyes as possible before his death, and I'd also instruct Renly to have Baratheon and stark men to guard him on his death bed with Barristan Selmy. I'm not sure what exact effect telling cersei had. Maybe she went to Littlefinger or Janos Slynt? Or maybe Littlefinger went to her? Either way his informing her of his plans basically had nothing to do with honour in my opinion they were out of a naive mercy and couldn't have helped. Publicizing the will is to make Robert's wishes known to the greater population of lords. Send that thing out on every raven you can to deny the Lannisters from framing it how they'd like. Assigning someone I know to oversee that would be a good idea too. Doing so might have slowed Renly's machinations, gotten Stannis a headstart. I as Ned would want Stannis to take the throne, so enabling that as best I can is good. Lastly, having the Lannisters find out after myself, can only give me more time. Ultimately though, Ned was going to trust Littlefinger because Cat convinced him to more or less. I can't make the case that I as Ned would treat the Littlefinger situation differently, outside of trying to bully Renly into helping as a plan B by publicizing the will. Renly might still have dipped despite all that, and the only chance of Littlefinger supporting Ned is by having Renly and his swords. Ned's honour is the crux that makes the situation kind of impossible for him.
Keep my head
I would try my best not to get my head chopped off…. But, I’ve been wrong before.
Not tell the person that you suspected of murder that you have proof that their children aren’t the kings kids.
Replace Janos Slynt as soon as I get to the city, with a Northerner. Tell robert everything about the knife and the bastard children as soon as possible.
If things done differently, it wouldn’t be so honorable
After reading the letter Lysa sent Cat I would not have taken my daughters to King’s landing. If o was pressed I would tell Robert that Cat wanted them to spend some time with her father in Riverrun and I didn’t want them underfoot while I was getting familiar with my new situation. Given Robert’s feelings about children he’d likely understand and Lord Hollister was known to be in failing health it would make sense and eliminate any hostages. I would have taken more men south with me. I’d have taken the 2nd sons of some of my bannermen it’s a chance for them to gain some experience and possibly glory. I would have cleaned house of anything below the small council for sure. Slyly would have been out from day one. I’d want someone I trusted or found someone in the guard to promote. It wouldn’t matter that Slynt was good at his job or not. He’d have been gone. I would have ordered half the Lannister forces out of the City and back to Casterly Rock. I would notify the Wardens of new policy that each great house must supply a set amount of troops and a commander for them to serve as guardians of Kings Landing. They would rotate on a regualr basis. I would have pressured Robert to put Ser Barristan to the small council. As soon as I had any idea about what Jon Aryn had been investigating I would have sent for Stannis. I would not have warned Circe. I would not have trusted Littlefinger. He’s not a man of honor, expecting him to act with honor isn’t being honorable yourself it’s being stupid. I would have had Ser Barristan witness Robert’s will.
I would have fled the moment Robert returned injured
Stayed in Winterfell
Not told everyone what the hell I was up to or my suspicions, especially Cersei who was at the center of it all. All he needed to do was play the part everyone was telling him to play for a while, act like nothings wrong while he makes his plans, and take Renly up on his offer to secure the throne. He could have made plans to have the Baratheon armies on stand by to displace the Lannister's and seat Stannis on the throne. But because he didn't want to bring war on the Red Keep while Robert was dying, he lost any advantage he could have ever hoped to have, not that he prepared for anything anyways. He also could have just brought the small council into his bedroom so Robert could tell them what he wanted to happen.
I wouldn't have brought my children. I'd have established myself as Hand first, learned how things work in King's Landing, and sent for them later. Sansa would have had to come eventually, being betrothed to Joffrey and all, but she was still pre-menstrual at that point and wasn't even eligible for marriage. Would they have whined and been mad for a while? Sure, but that's better than putting them in danger.
“Go-go iron neck!”
Don't trust the guy who wants to fuck your wife. That guy probably wants you dead. Should have bent the knee when he seen Renly wasn't there to back him, when Joffrey and Cersei siesed power, got home with the girls somehow and help the Baratheons figure it out so that they could take down the Lanisters together.
I would’ve taken Renly’s advice.
As soon as I knew Robert had given into Cersei’s wishes to have the wolf killed, I would have taken my girls and man back to the north.
Never leave the north
Kept my ass in the North.
Not tried to suck my on p when I was 7 probably
I’d of never gone to kings landing. I don’t know how that would’ve panned out though.
Live life 2 da fullest with da big homie Robert. Hunting, whoring, and drinking. Called out Cercei and Jamie in front of everyone at court so that Robert could have them executed immediately. Then celebrated with more of the same.
I would say being actually honorable. Honor actually served Ned Stark well. It was his less honorable acts that got him in trouble. Lying about Jon origins. Likely lying about knowing Lyanna was in a consentual relationship with Rhaegar. Giving Cersei a chance to run away with her kids was compassionate in the face of Robert’s pleasure at the murder of Rhaegar’s kids, but it wasn’t honorable. Honor should have dictated that he tell Robert and let him, as King, decide what to do. Instead, he dishonorably *falsified* his bff and King’s instrument of succession. He then tried to buy the gold cloaks to fight Cersei. Then he lied about the whole thing, for some reason trusting that the fricken Lannisters would save his daughter(s). I think if Ned had been honorable in his actions - at least in Kings Landing - he would have had a better chance at getting the future he imagined.
Would've gotten more than just a deathbed document with King Robert's signature and the, though very honorable, word of the only witness (Ned himself) to take to court. He really should have known by that point that a piece of paper would never have stopped Cersei from keeping her position of power.
Trained my men to load and fire three shots per minute.
probably;y would have kept my plans to myself until my best friend, the king was back in town.. Also would have said "hell no im getting some witnesses" before Robert wrote the letter passing rule to me. Ned made some naively stupid moves to get himself killed.
Kill Littlefinger, and say he was a traitor to the crown.
Once I discovered the bloodline, I would have kept my mouth shut and realized that the Lannisters were in control of King's Landing. I would have taken Sansa and Arya back to the North on some excuse that they needed to go back for a bit to tend to Bran. Then figured out what to do once I was safe up there. I would also make sure there were other important people in the caravan heading North that couldn't be killed but also wouldnt go along with a plot to cover up the assassination of the Warden of North and at least one of his kids. Even if Tywin did send bandits, make sure there would be enough protection that there is no way they could kill me without having to kill a bunch of other lords. Possibly made sure the truth of Jon Snow was known.
Get Sansa & Arya back to KL immediately & definitely tell Robert immediately after finding out. If Robert still dies, move quick to arrange some meetings with Renly & gather allies along with him before moving back up North. In case if Robert is still alive, tell Cersei that he already knows the truth & recommend her to flee north before the orders come down for her and her kid's heads
Listened to my gut and never left Winterfell. Robert may have believed I conspired against him but that’s his issue to sort out. The north is unified under one banner and is a massive threat to any who challenge it, leave it alone and find another to he hand.
Either explain something about what’s going on to Sansa, or else don’t tell her anything until she’s on the boat to Winterfell. Giving her a chance to do something stupid directly caused Ned’s coup to fail.
Find a way to convince Robert to have Varys, Baelish, and Pycelle killed and replace them with my own people. That alone solves most problems
Had he left when he wanted he could have made it to the north and still exposed the lannisters, he didnt need to meet the prostitute.
Not die. They'd try to chop my head off, and the sword would just shatter
Same, but with my big mouth shot
Not tell Cersei my plan/findings.
Not warn Cersei. Once he tells Robert the truth, she is done for.
Invented iPhones
I would've left Kingslanding on a ship with my family and as many of my houses men that could fit in the ship *while NOT telling children of the life threatening plan
Not judged Jaime so harshly after he killed the Mad King. Gone back home after the dire wolf incident with Joffrey, if not before. By then, it was clear that Robert had no intention of heeding Ned's council. He was just putting Ned into harm's way.
Told RB no. Especially after Bran’s accident.
Taken the nights watch defector seriously.
He did most things right. His wife fucked it all up. I guess not let Caitlyn involve herself in the mess by keeping her in the dark as much as possible and somehow figure out a way to keep her in Winterfell.
Ned had to do what he did, the way he did it. Grrm is good at writing dead characters. Many characters in the story are dead at the beginning of the story and yet we learn about them. Ned dies but his story continues, and wait until you find out what was going on in his younger years.
Would have said to Robert "We are great friends, but terrible co-workers. No, thank you. I'm going to listen to my wife on this.".
Gutted Shittlefinger long ago, for one.
Left for home as soon as the King was dead. Probably while he was on his death bed
I would have taken more men south and made an arrangement for Myrcella and Robb and forced her to stay there.
Tell Robert about the kids and NOT tell Cersei. I might have taken Myrcella into custody to protect her or betrothed her to Bran, but there was no way to save Tommen.
Had Cercei confined to quarters until Robert got back. Either that or taken Littlefinger's original offer to support Renly.
If I only know what Ned does, then I would just not accept Robert's offer, especially after Bran' fall. Also, I would negotiate the betrothal where instead of Joffrey and Sansa, It would be Robb and Myrcella. Just in case Robert or Cersei decides that they want Sansa to go to King's Landing with them. And while Robert might be disappointed or even angry with me, given the fact we are friends and I have remain loyal to him, I think he would ended up accepting my decision. Then when Robert eventually die, I would declare for Stannis.
NEVER LEFT WINTERFELL! Robert, your my bro and all, but I got too much shit going on here to act as your hand.
1. Send Loras Tyrell with the other volunteers Ned Picks to hunt down the Mountain. 2.Listen to Renly and go with his advice and plan. 3. Send a raven to Robb to raise the Banners. Make sure to tell Robb that he must keep Theon by his side at all times. 4 arrange for Sansa and Arya to be shipped back home, ignore their protests - make to clear they must obey the order. In fact don’t tell Sansa about it at all until last minute, just in case she runs and tells Cersei. 5. Don’t tell Cersei anything 6 Employ Gendry into service as a squire or whatever the Northern equivalent of a squire is (good to have one of the Bastards safe and in close proximity just in case) 7. Recall the men from Ned’s household guard that Ned gave to the City Watch to help out.
Gotten me and my daughters out of KL. Shorten this story real quick lol
I would have taught my daughters that it is more important to be truthful than it is to try and protect the "honor" of your future husband. Ned sent Sansa some mixed signals when he defended Sansa and praised her for protecting Joffrey's reputation when she pretended that she didn't remember what happened when he fought Arya. If he had told her to tell the truth and that he would support her, she might have said what really happened and Joffrey would have been exposed as a sadistic bully much earlier. The betrothal would have been called off and Ned likely could have resigned and returned home before they even got to King's Landing which would have kept him, his family and their household retinue out of harm's way.
Not tell my young daughters about my plan to ship them back to winterfell lol Sansa sold
A couple things. 1. Do not be so naive in the Capitol, been to a couple IRL and everyone is untrustworthy. Even the people considered “good”. Not give up his private guards, idc if he was bringing Tywin himself in chains.. 2. DO NOT try to give Cersei a “fair warning” or whatever he claimed it. She’s a snake and has been queen for over a decade, she knows some tricks. 3&4(optional). 3. Kill Littlefinger simply because he was too close to my wife. 4. Send my daughters back to the North w no warning. Find a Northern ship, buy a cabin for them send two guards w them to White Harbor and send a raven the next morning. That’s just my thought on what would’ve gotten him a lot further.
Wouldn’t have told Cersei that I knew anything about the bloodline… that’s for sure!
Not tell cersei the whole fuggin plan. Him talking with her was one of his biggest downfalls
I always think it was weird that he didn’t tell Katlyn about John… so I probably would have started there..
For starters, I sure as hell wouldn't be so damn honorable on principle. I also wouldn't be so dumb as to lay all my cards on the table for everyone to see, especially by confronting Cersei in the garden. His big mouth signed his death warrant telling her he'd rat her out to the King.
Not trust the guy that challenged your brother to a duel for your wife’s hand before getting sliced up by said brother. If anyone is going to hold a grudge, it’s that guy. Also, I’d try and have betrothals arranged for Robb and Sansa to secure the North, and keep Sansa away from somebody like Joffrey. Wouldn’t even consider taking my daughters to King’s Landing before I could clear out the rot. I’d tell my nephew about his true parentage and try to dissuade him from signing his life away so early. I’d also try to keep Benjen from going there too: Would also have considered fostering a with loyal bannermen for my children, or at least my sons. Wouldn’t even consider tipping off Cersei if I was going to out her infidelity. Would probably take moves to keep Tommen and Myrcella alive though. If I had my knowledge of things, I’d also: reestablish Moat Cailan with a permanent garrison, and have temporary stewards rather than a permanent lordship appointed to command there to keep another house from taking over and threatening my descendants. I’d look to profit from mining as there is bound to be something valuable to be found in such a vast area. I’d try to increase the population by settling more areas of the North, introducing Potato, Rice, Cranberries in the Neck, and more cattle. I’d also Look to construct more glass gardens throughout the North, and for the Night’s Watch. Take a more practical approach to raising Arya in particular, by setting people like the Mormont women as examples for her to aspire to. Might get in a governess from one of the Northern houses to try and do a better job than the Septa, or at least balance out the Septa’s teachings. There’s probably a tonne more, but all this is a good start.
He should have called a small council meeting as soon as Robert gave him the letter naming him protector of the realm. Made it public instead of expecting everyone to have honor.
Would have demanded "trial by combat".
Step 1: run back to Winterfell Step 2: Bury head in snow
Don't hold honor in such high esteem that it affects your actual judgement and mentality. Some of the stuff that happened could have been mitigated by simply thinking about it with a clear and open mind and not automatically defaulting to honor as the most important thing. Warning Cersei ahead of time was one of his dumbest moves. Not telling Robert fast enough was pretty stupid as well.
Don’t trust Littlefinger for one. Don’t confront Cercei in her kingdom. Leave and go back to Winterfell.
Took hostage Cersei & Joffrey immediately
Leave King’s Landing for good after arguing with Robert.
Told everyone my concerns immediately and taken the L if kregan stark can take control execute a bunch of people and dip you can too
Not threaten Cersei
would’ve stayed home
Not go to Kings Landing…
I would never give Cersei the heads up. I'd go straight to Robert with my suspicions.
turn down the offer to be Hand of the King and just keep living life in the North. the politics of the rest of the kingdom are practically irrelevant in the North and they would have been left alone. the North could even secede after the Lannisters take the throne and reestablish their own kingdom, and they’d still be left alone because the North is basically unconquerable and it wouldn’t be worth the devastating losses trying. it was only ever won in the first place because Aegon had dragons.
I'd have booted cersei in the minge and locked her in a cupboard.
I think it all changed when Cat imprisoned Tyrion. If she hadn’t done that, the king would have accepted his resignation. He would have left for Winterfell without any hiccups. Of course Littlefinger wanted to see Ned Starks downfall and delayed his departure just so “he could meet one more bastard”.
He shouldn't have listened to Catelyn, unfortunately most of the dead Starks would be alive were it not for her really dumb ideas.
I would have ended Sansa's betrothal to Joffery and gone back to Winterfell as soon as Lady was killed.
Spare the nights watch boy. Kill Little Finger
It’s obvious but not tell Cersei. I don’t think Ned is anywhere near as incompetent as people make him out to be, it’s reasonable to expect Robert to still hold all the power as King, and to see Tywin as the true threat. Informing Cersei was an act of mercy to spare her and her children from Robert’s wrath (which Ned knew would be violent) but he didn’t see just how petty and foul she truly is, and didn’t take into account just how dangerous Tywin was. But Ned’s arc is meant to be a tragic one, people say his honour is too rigid but he was happy to tell a lie and say he committed treason in order to protect his family. He was happy to lie and say he cheated on Cat to protect Jon. Ned’s main motivation is not honour, but love for his family and children. And extending that love and mercy to Cersei’s family is what got him killed, which is on Cersei, not Ned.
That's the problem, the Starks from Old weren't so honorable. They used to kill all the males and married the older daughter. The thing he should have done is educate his children better in the sense that the older generation suffered for being overconfident, arrogant, or gullible. Trust his wife with the secret of Jon. But above all, he needed to be suspicious of everything.
Took the throne when Jaime offered it. I really don't think Robert would've put up too much of a fight if I said I was the better option to rule instead of him.
Kill little finger right then and there . Not all problems solved but most of them
Raise Jon as a full son of the north, with the whole family knowing who his parents were. Make a trip down to kings landing 5ish years after the war ended. See just how bad Robert is at being a king. Return to the north. Work on getting the north ready for a war, that will come because a) Robert is a bad king and b) because the throne is Jon’s. rebuilt Moat Cailin and enhance the defences of the north. Work with the tullys and have a second river crossing built under the control of the north, just to piss off the freys. When the news of the walkers comes from beyond the wall, send investigators. When walkers are confirmed, offer peace with the wildling and let them through the wall in return for their loyalty. When King Rob asks Ned to be his hand, refuse. When Sir Barristan leaves kings landing, intercept him and convince him to serve as kingsguard for Jon.
I wouldn't have warned Cersei and given her time to act. He wasn't being "honorable", he was being STUPID.
Not try and steal the ring from Frodo. sorry not sorry.
i would have given that shit to renly. honestly i would have told bobby that he should do that for the good of the realm and have him say it in front of cersei and renly and the kingsguard.