Board Thread:TV Show Discussion/@comment-24228112-20160706160844/@comment-25402783-20160709174052

137.200.32.54 wrote: I want to believe it was love. However, the nature of game of thrones is rooted in violence and for that reason I say it was a kidnapping and a rape. Rape was pretty common back then I would think and women above all else loved their children. I think we saw the love lyanna had for her child in the tower of joy but I don't think it was reflective of her feeling for Rhaegar. Remember she told Ned "I tried to be brave" I think she was trying to be brave while she waited to be rescued.

I think the whole "I want to be brave" line was her talking about being brave in the face of death, and not refering to her "kidnapping". You have to remeber; the only person that thinks poorly of Rheagar is Robert, and Robert was obsessed with Lyanna, and it's clear she didn't love him. He thought that Lyanna would NEVER challenge him, but Ned points out that he never really knew her.

Hell, even Ned doesn't think poorly of Rhaegar, you'd think that he'd hate the man that raped his sister. And in terms of the story being rooted violence, their love sent tens of thusands to their deaths, so there was plenty of violence. It's like Romeo and Juliet: two lovers that can't be together. Also, Rhaegar's last word was "Lyanna", it's pretty clear that he loved her, I doubt he would say her name with his last breath if he didn't care about her. In the end, there's not much evedence that shows Rhaegar raped Lyanna, and there is evedence that he was in love with her, and she was in love with him.