In retrospect, was Joffrey even in the wrong here?
At the time of Ned Stark's execution there were 4 rebellions forming
- Robb's (he wasn't declared king yet, and it had nothing to do with Joffrey's legitimacy)
- Renly's (once again, Renly had no idea Joffrey was a bastard, and it's even worse for his cause if he is, since it makes Stannis the legitimate option)
- Balon's (completely unrelated to Joffrey's legitimacy)
- Stannis (The disgruntled uncle disliked by everyone)
Letting Ned Stark live, even by going to the wall, would likely result in Robb siding with Stannis, which by the time would have Renly's army, and would probably weight more in Mace Tyrell's decision to join Joffrey.
Ned Stark lives = the war stops being about 4 people fighting for their own personal agendas and becomes a matter of Joffrey being a bastard or not.
Ned Stark was convinced Joffrey was a bastard, how do you tell him he can't go around telling people that? The minute Ned Stark left the dungeons someone would ask him what happened, even if he lies about the reason he was captured and his entire retinue was murdered, say it was a misunderstanding or even take the prestige hit and say he got caught embezzling money, would Robb as the new Lord Stark be ok with this shit?
>"oh yeah they killed all our friends and staff and your sisters are hostages now. I can't tell you why tho, just go along with it"
Killing Ned Stark was the only justified course of action, and when you realize Joffrey never questioned being Robert's son, it makes even more sense.
We're first introduced to Ned Stark by the execution of a deserter without any consideration for the reasons he deserted, Ned Stark attempted to seize the royal family in front of the entire court while calling him a bastard, what would Ned have done if someone tried to pull this shit with him?
- Robb's (he wasn't declared king yet, and it had nothing to do with Joffrey's legitimacy)
- Renly's (once again, Renly had no idea Joffrey was a bastard, and it's even worse for his cause if he is, since it makes Stannis the legitimate option)
- Balon's (completely unrelated to Joffrey's legitimacy)
- Stannis (The disgruntled uncle disliked by everyone)
Letting Ned Stark live, even by going to the wall, would likely result in Robb siding with Stannis, which by the time would have Renly's army, and would probably weight more in Mace Tyrell's decision to join Joffrey.
Ned Stark lives = the war stops being about 4 people fighting for their own personal agendas and becomes a matter of Joffrey being a bastard or not.
Ned Stark was convinced Joffrey was a bastard, how do you tell him he can't go around telling people that? The minute Ned Stark left the dungeons someone would ask him what happened, even if he lies about the reason he was captured and his entire retinue was murdered, say it was a misunderstanding or even take the prestige hit and say he got caught embezzling money, would Robb as the new Lord Stark be ok with this shit?
>"oh yeah they killed all our friends and staff and your sisters are hostages now. I can't tell you why tho, just go along with it"
Killing Ned Stark was the only justified course of action, and when you realize Joffrey never questioned being Robert's son, it makes even more sense.
We're first introduced to Ned Stark by the execution of a deserter without any consideration for the reasons he deserted, Ned Stark attempted to seize the royal family in front of the entire court while calling him a bastard, what would Ned have done if someone tried to pull this shit with him?
