Game of Thrones "WHAT IF": Rhaegar & Lyanna Had Lived?

            Been watching some videos on YouTube on "What If" scenarios of Game of Thrones and since I've done something similar for The Vampire Diaries I thought I'd do at least one or two for one of my all time favorite shows that has so many what if/could have been scenarios. So... What if Rhaegar and Lyanna didn't die but lived?

Romance gets in the way of politics

The Story...

           Okay NOW it's officially known that Jon Snow is actually the son of Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen. How their affair started may have been at the Tourney of Harrenhall where Rhaegar crowned Lyanna the Queen of Love and Beauty instead of his wife, Elia Martell at the time. About a year or so later Rhaegar reportedly abducted Lyanna Stark which kick started Robert Baratheon's rebellion. Rhaegar and Lyanna were missing for at least 8 months for the entire rebellion but what if Rhaegar had emerged sooner once he heard that Lyanna's brash big brother Bran was being held prisoner by the Mad King?

This is what happens when men think with
that lower head

Bran Spared & a Stark Queen?

         Rhaegar was beloved by the people of Westeros who would have most likely forgiven him for abducting Lyanna but the Starks would have been a different story. However, Rhaegar cared about Lyanna so much that he would have spared her hot head brother. But what about the Mad King? Rhaegar most likely had a plan to have his father abdicate either forcing him off the throne or some one (most likely Dorne) assassinate him so he could take the throne like everyone wanted him to. Rhaegar would have revealed that he had secretly married Lyanna and since Targaryens have practiced polygamy before it would have been legit. I don't think Elia would have minded either because she was completely devoted to Rhaegar and would have supported him. Elia and Rhaegar were close enough that I wouldn't doubt that he told her about the prophecy and that "the dragon needs 3 heads" thing. Since Elia couldn't bare anymore of Rhaegar's children she would have welcomed a second Queen. Dorne may have grumbled but Elia would give her full support to her husband and Dorne wouldn't try anything like try and assassinate Lyanna.

Robert would have ruined it for everyone

Baratheon Rebellion

        Given Robert's infamous temper I doubt he would have taken the stealing of his bride (the woman he was obsessed with) lying down. He still would have called in his banners but he wouldn't have had the support because Ned would have stood by his sister and if she asked Ned to stay out of Robert's Rebellion then he would have. However, Ned would have pled mercy for his best friend to his new brother-in-law and Robert would have been probably sent to the Wall to become a Man of the Night's Watch, leaving Stannis as the new Lord of Storm's End. 

Tywin would probably be in a better mood if Rhaegar had lived

The Lannisters?

       Always one to plan for every scenario I have no doubt that Tywin would have supported Rhaegar, a much more competent king that he could work for. Not sure he would have been made the Hand of the King but it's safe to say that Rhaegar would have asked Tywin to fill that role. Possibly Tywin would have asked for Jaime to quit the King's Guard but he would have said no leaving him and Cersei apart (so no twin-cest). Still Tywin would have tried to tie himself to the Targaryen Dynasty by proposing his daughter Cersei to the Prince Viserys or even his dwarf son Tyrion to Rhaegar's daughter though I doubt the second proposal would have been granted. To keep Tywin on his good side, Rhaegar would have given him Viserys as a husband for Cersei or any other marriage he desired so long as it didn't make Tywin too powerful.

Jon would probably still end up King

Prince Jon?

       Lyanna died in childbirth and that probably still would have happened but it wouldn't have been in the Tower of Joy. It most likely would have happened in a nice birthing chamber with the best royal midwives and maesters to give Lyanna aid. Jon or as many have speculated Jaeharyes would have been the second prince of the 7 Kingdoms after his older brother Prince Aegon. Jon still would have also had a dire wolf as a gift from his uncle Ned who probably would have married Ashara Dayne (or maybe I don't know, that one's up for grabs). Prince Jon would have grown up legitimate, learning to fight, loved by his parents and had a loving family. Either Jon would have married his aunt Daenerys or his older sister Rhaenys (though most likely she would have married her brother Aegon because he's the oldest boy). OR! Jon and Aegon would have both married Rhaenys in some new unorthodox tradition because the White Walkers were coming and there were 3 Dragons needed to help fight them so Rhaegar would have attempted this new tradition. 

Poor Daenerys would have suffered...

Princess Daenerys & Prince Viserys Married?

       Because it was tradition for Targaryens to marry their siblings and that Rhaegar was already married with 2 children of his own, once Daenerys was born she would have likely been a bride for her older brother Viserys. He would have still been abusive as hell and Daenerys would probably not be the badass, confident queen we know her as today. They probably would have also had children. The first one perhaps would still have been deformed (because that's a pattern with Targaryens because of the constant incest) but she would have had more pregnancies and so more living children. 

We still would have gotten this epic fight scene!

The White Walkers

        The White Walkers would be a more prominent threat and perhaps more attention would have been focused on preparing for war with them. However, they wouldn't have dragons as an advantage because Daenerys gets them when she's exiled in Essos. Though I believe with uniting the 7 Kingdoms Rhaegar could have mustered some forces to help stop them but... would they have the Three Eyed Raven? Blood Raven would have probably sent some messages to someone in the Targaryen family about the things they needed to defeat the White Walkers and perhaps the Children of the Forest would have survived a bit longer to help fight before becoming extinct completely. Still there would have been no Bran, Arya, Sansa, Robb or Rikon. 

Melisandre wouldn't have that much influence over Rhaegar

The Red God

      Thoros of Myr and Melisandre are so far the only presences of the one "true" god. They were sent in hopes of converting King Robert to their fire religion but failed. Would they have failed with Rhaegar? The red religion is fire-based and the Targaryens are obsessed with fire. Rhaegar probably would have converted but wouldn't have forced anyone else to or he may not have converted but wouldn't allow the red priests and priestesses to commit the horrors that Melisandre had been committing the last few seasons, burning non-believers and children. But they have some kind of magic and Rhaegar would have enlisted their help in the fight against the White Walkers. 

If only they had lived!

     So things would be entirely different from the path we are currently on. As much as I would have loved for Jon to have been raised a prince it would have robbed us of the dragons and Daenerys being awesome. Though Ned would definitely be alive so that's a plus (not a big one but I loved Ned!).