One of the most enduring mysteries in the entire saga of A Song of Ice and Fire is the question of whatever happened at the Tower of Joy. We only get brief hints in the books, but it’s widely assumed that unraveling these events will solve the mystery of Jon Snow’s parentage. As always, when dealing with book content and the theories they spawn, Beware of SPOILERS.

In A Game of Thrones, Ned Stark, remembers what happened at the Tower of Joy while under the influence of Milk of the Poppy. In his fever dream, seven of Ned’s friends ride with him to the Tower toward the end of Robert’s Rebellion: Howland Reed, Lord Willam Dustin, Ethan Glover, Martyn Cassel, Theo Wull, and Mark Ryswell. These seven men faced off against three of the most skilled Kingsguard in history: Lord Commander Gerold Hightower; Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning; and Oswell Whent.

Even when Rhaegar Targaryen died at the hands of Robert Baratheon, these three loyal Kingsguard refused to leave Lyanna Stark, who was staying at the Tower of Joy. This has led many book readers to believe that Lyanna had either given birth to a legitimate Targaryen heir or was about to give birth soon. After all, what is a Kingsguard if he is not guarding the King or a member of the royal family? By the end of the battle, only Eddard and Howland Reed remained alive. Ned rushed to his sister’s side, be he was too late to save her life. He made a promise to her and pledged to keep it.

Because of his honor, Ned pulled down the Tower of Joy to make burial cairns for the men slain in the battle. Because, even though they stood against him, the legendary Kingsguard were loyal and honorable men, and Ned even returned Ser Arthur Dayne’s familial sword, Dawn, to its rightful owners, House Dayne.

Now that you’re familiar with the story, meet the man who turned the dream into a beautiful and tastefully done comic. Uros Obradovic, writing under the name Urukki Saki, is a Serbian-born illustrator and graphic designer.

“I have made a short comic based on a dream of Ned Stark, a famous scene that was happening bellow the mountains of Dorne, beside a structure known as Tower of Joy, although sorrow made it never to be forgotten by the surviving players.”

As far as I know, the only surviving player is Howland Reed, and we’ve yet to meet him…that is unless of course you don’t count Jon Snow, but he would have no memory of those events, as he was a newborn infant. Yes, I believe that R+L=J.

The artwork in the comic is exquisite and serves to bring to life a scene that I’ve always imagined in my own dreams. Uros Obradovic is to be commended for his work, and I hope to see more from him in the near future.

Ned’s Dream: The Tower of Joy