- "Promise me, Ned."
- ―Lyanna's last words to Ned.
Lyanna Stark was a member of House Stark, and the only daughter of Rickard and Lyarra Stark. She was described as having a wild beauty about her, especially by her younger brother. Betrothed to marryRobert Baratheon, she instead secretly fell in love with Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, who also fell in love with her, despite having marriedElia Martell: they kept this a secret between them. As a result, when Rhaegar took her away, it was thought she had been abducted: Lyanna's abduction, along with the execution of her older brother and father, sparked Robert's Rebellion. She was taken to an unknown location, where the two of them produced a child. Lyanna, pregnant, was left in the Tower of Joy under the guard of the Kingsguard, while Rhaegar rode off to battle: he never returned. Eddard led six companions to save her, of which only he and Howland Reed survived. He comforted Lyanna in her last moments, where its revealed she had given birth. In the show, Lyanna makes Eddard promise to keep the baby's identity a secret. In the books, it is unconfirmed what Lyanna made Ned promise.