By now, most fans are undoubtedly rejoicing about the fact that Game of Thrones finally seemed to confirm the R+L=J theory that's been bubbling to the surface for the past several seasons. Due to another one of Bran's helpful visions, we saw a young Ned finally make it inside the Tower of Joy to find his sister, who was dying and had just recently given birth to a son, whom we now know is Jon Snow. But how exactly did Lyanna die on Game of Thrones ? Both the books and the show have always shrouded this tragic event in mystery, but I've always been inclined to think that she died due to complications during childbirth. Not only does the timing of this make sense, considering that the child appears to be a newborn, but it would also explain why details of her death have remained so scarce and suspiciously vague.
Let's not forget that the books have yet to confirm that Jon is the son of Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark, so if George R.R. Martin had written she'd died in childbirth, that could've given too much away too soon. So to say that Ned found Lyanna in a "bed of blood," dying, in the books makes it all the more ominous and gives viewers a better payoff later on. The books also described Lyanna as being "feverish," according to Quora.com, which can be a common complication after giving birth, especially given the fact that her living conditions weren't exactly ideal up in that tower. (I'm just saying that bed did not look very comfortable.) So these could all be clues to the cause of her death.
Characters on the show have seemed to just assume that her death came from the severe injuries, rape, and abuse she suffered at Rhaegar's hand. But if we're right in assuming that the two of them were actually in love, then I highly doubt that was the case, which leaves childbirth complications as the only likely remaining option. Maybe we'll never know for sure what exactly happened on that life-changing day. Either way, there is some solace in knowing that her brother and child were by her side at the very end. So at least she was surrounded by those who loved her in those final fleeting moments.
Image: HBO
