Bran Stark returned to Game of Thrones after spending a full season in a tree, and his Season 6 appearances have been few and far between. With all the knowledge that Bran now holds, we need to see him, Benjen Stark, and Meera Reed again. Not only is the Stark child due for a return, but when is the Tower of Joy coming back on Game of Thrones ? It's probably coming sooner than we think.
If you are unfamiliar with the fan theory that Game of Thrones has hinted at this season with several Ned Stark flashbacks, it goes like this. At the end of Robert's Rebellion, Ned Stark and Howland Reed went to rescue Ned's sister and Robert's fiancé Lyanna Stark. She had been allegedly kidnapped by Rhaegar Targaryen. In George R. R. Martin's novels, we learn that Ned found his sister there — but she was dying. Before she died, she made Ned promise her something. That something, unfortunately, died as a secret when Ned Stark was beheaded on Joffrey's orders. Fans believe that the "promise" was to take care of Jon, making him Rhaegar and Lyanna's son.
On the HBO series, we've been teased in a visual way. Bran's visions have shown Ned getting up the steps of the tower, but not what he found inside it. Because of that, I feel pretty confident that we'll see the conclusion of whatever's hidden in the Tower of Joy in the Game of Thrones Season 6 finale.
The Rule of Threes
We've seen the Tower of Joy twice now in Bran's visions. First, we saw the swordfight go down. Later, Bran caught a glimpse of young Ned Stark's bloody hands. Now, I know as well as anyone that Game of Thrones is no fairy tale, and the fact that the Tower of Joy inverts "damsel in distress" tales proves it, but the basic rules of storytelling dictate that if we see something twice, it's coming a third time. We've seen the beginning and the middle of the Tower of Joy battle — so what's the end?
Everyone's New Fave
Lyanna Mormont, by virtue of her name, represents the connection between the Starks and the Targaryens (due to Jorah Mormont's travels with Daenerys) that Jon Snow could potentially represent. It's possible that her namesake explains why she's become such a major, and fierce, player all of a sudden.
Rickon's Funeral
At the end of Episode 9, Jon says "we're going to bury my brother in the crypt next to my father" — meaning Ned Stark. You know who else is in that crypt? Lyanna Stark. Perfect transition to a flashback, don't you think? It would be even better if Bran somehow makes it to Winterfell to deliver the news himself.
I'm just saying, all the pieces are in place in a way that they never were before. While it would be totally wild for Game of Thrones to reveal Jon Snow's parentage before even the books do, the time is now.
Images: Macall B. Polay, Helen Sloan/courtesy of HBO
