It has been discussed for years.
For those that need a spoiler alert, you know what’s coming.
Romance doesn’t tend to last very long in Westeros.
For example, Lysa Arryn’s decision to poison her husband was a massive factor in starting the War of the Five Kings.
Elsewhere, Cersei Lannister was cheating on her husband, Robert Baratheon, with her own brother and as for any romance involving members of the Stark family…let’s just say that Ramsay, Ygritte, Talisa, Catelyn and Ned won’t be making Christmas dinner at Winterfell.
One person that might be introducing a new romantic partner to his immediate family is Jon Snow, although that might change when he discovers who his true parents are!
After that telling grasp of the arm and their heated chat in the Dragonstone caves, it appears that any initial awkwardness between Jon and Daenerys has vanished. Then again, she’ll probably keep insisting that he bends the knee but romance is blossoming between the pair. Just remember that they’re aunt and nephew. Always remember that!
After it was confirmed at the end of last season that Jon is indeed the son of Lyanna Stark (Ned’s sister) and Rhaegar Targaryen (Dany’s older brother), fans now know that the Mother of Dragons and the King in the North are in fact related but during a recent discussion on the latest episode, David Benioff confirmed that the relationship between Jon and Dany is more than just platonic.
https://twitter.com/bevtgooden/status/894371280790728705
“There’s tension on two sides. One is the political side where Jon Snow has his own very specific purpose on Dragonstone and that’s to get the dragon glass and if possible to convince Dany to fight alongside him. Dany has her own purpose which is to get Jon to bend the knee. There’s conflict and it’s conflict between powerful people and to make it even more complicated, they’re starting to be attracted to each other. So much of it isn’t from dialogue or anything we wrote, it’s just the two of them in a small space, standing near each other, and us just watching that and feeling the heat from that,” he said.
Before you start shouting “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at any potential romance, just know that this sort of familial relationship is very much in keeping with the Targaryen nature.
As Ser Barristan Selmy states in the books, “madness and greatness were two sides of the same coin. Every time a new Targaryen is born, the gods toss the coin in the air and the world holds its breath to see how it will land.” Robert Baratheon elaborated on this point by saying “Babies or no, theirs was the same cursed blood that flowed within the Mad King’s veins. They were ‘dragon-spawn’, and couldn’t be allowed to survive. What would they grow to be, loyal subjects?…Was it a crime to put an end to a family of lunatics born of incest?”
Simply put, there’s a history of incest in the Targaryen lineage that dates back centuries. Daenerys and her brothers, Rhaegar and Viserys, were the products of incest after their parents, siblings King Aerys II and Rhaella Targaryen, married one another.
Daenerys’ grandfather, King Jaehaerys II and Shaera Targaryen, were also siblings that had children.
In Dany’s family, the most famous Targaryen, Aegon the Conqueror , took the Seven Kingdoms (except for Dorne) with his two sister-wives Visenya and Rhaenys by his side.
If you’re looking for even more signs of a burgeoning romance, Emilia Clarke is already posting pictures of the two characters together.
We’ve rarely seen Jon smile so much.
A Song of Ice and Fire indeed.
Aunt and nephew people, aunt and nephew.
