15. What If Eddard Stark Hadn't Warned Cersei?
HBOEddard Stark is a man of honour and principle, unlike most nobles of Westeros, he prides himself on his dignity and integrity. It's these traits that make Eddard a great soldier, but they also mean he is a somewhat lacking politician, he never mastered the art of keeping his cards close to his chest and suffered gravely as a result. When Ned realised Joffrey was not a true son of Robert, he decided to confront Cersei in hopes of making her leave the city, this gave her forewarning of his plan, so she could prevent it. He then also made the mistake of trusting Petyr Baelish. What if Eddard had been more cautious and had not warned Cersei of what he was about to do? If Ned had kept quiet when he discovered Joffrey's false lineage, then he'd have been able to tell Robert without an audience, therefore bypassing any drama that he was afraid of after he had warned Cersei. Had Robert been told, he'd have given orders to remove Cersei, Joffrey and the Lannisters from Kings' Landing, which also removes any opportunity for Baelish to betray him as he'd never need to conduct a coup himself. This train of thought isn't definite in its outcome, but it certainly gives Eddard more of a feasible chance than his original actions.