Ned Would Never Have Had An Affair
...and Had Been Harbouring Guilt Over A Secret He Had Kept For 14 years...Troubled sleep was no stranger to him. He had lived lies for fourteen years, yet they still haunted him at night... A Game of Thrones The 'A Song Of Ice and Fire' ("ASOIAF") series is notable in its relentless depictions of moral ambiguity. Yet Ned Stark is one of the few characters who can be considered to be something akin to a paragon of honour and moral decency. It seems drastically out of character that not only would he betray his wifes honour but also that, in flagrant contrast to what appear to be the generally accepted customs of Westeros, he would bring his bastard born son back to live amongst his family. The text points to the fact that Ned has been lying about something and that these lies had plagued him for 14 years: a span of time equal to Jons age, and the same time that had passed since Lyannas death. From what we know of Ned and his finely tuned sense of morality, he would only lie if a greater truth had compelled him to do so. Some secrets are safer kept hidden. Some secrets are too dangerous to share, even with those you love and trust A Game of Thrones Ned was lying by keeping his secret, a secret that he kept deep inside for 14 years. That was his curse. Robert would swear undying love and forget them before evenfall, but Ned Stark kept his vows. He thought of the promises he made to Lyanna as she lay dying, and the price hed paid to keep them A Game of Thrones