Game of Thrones isn’t only about betrayals, politics, ruling, wars, and bloody kingdoms, it also aires some of the best romantic and thrilling love stories. The show itself isn’t based on any true incidents, but the romance between the couples seems very close to reality. As in the real world, lovers have to go through all the ups and downs to secure their love life, and same can be seen in this thrilling series as well.
In this article, we delve into the rich and complicated lives of married and unmarried couples that defined the emotional heartbeat of the realm. From the doomed love of Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Ygritte (Rose Leslie) to the twisted bond between Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey), these relationships are a reflection of the vulnerabilities and desires of those who played the game of thrones and paid the price.
Not all the couples are married in Game of Thrones, we’ll discuss married and unmarried lovers separately.
Married Couples in Game of Thrones
Eddard Stark (Ned) and Catelyn Tully
Lord Eddard (Sean Bean) and Catelyn Tully (Michelle Fairley) are one of the most important and best couples of the Northern kingdom who raised all the Stark children and taught them how to live a fair and honest life as a lord or lady. Though their marriage was arranged, they ultimately fell in love with each other afterwards, and set an example of honest and sincere marriage.
Ned Stark had to leave his wife in order to serve as the hand of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy), still he never kept an eye on another woman, just like other lords. They were both always honest and loved each other with all sincerity. Sadly, they don’t have much screen time together, but still, they are ranked among the best husband and wife in the series due to their loyalty to each other. Strangely, if Ned Stark had ruled all the kingdoms, all the things, including his love life, would be very beautiful and different.
Ned was known for cheating his wife during the rebellion against the Mad King – Aerys II Targaryen (David Rintoul), but in reality, he never cheated, he only faked it so he could protect his sister’s son from being killed.
Robert Baratheon and Cersei Lannister
Robert Baratheon was among the dearest persons to Ned Stark, both these friends together threw out the biggest empire the world had ever seen, and Robert chose to rule the kingdoms, whereas his friend chose to remain at home and rule his ancestral kingdom. The funny part is that Ned had a loyal wife, while Robert was never blessed with such loyalty. His love life was very complicated.
He began the rebelion because he loved Lyanna Stark (Aisling Franciosi), who was rumored to have been raped by Rhaegar Targaryen (Wilf Scolding) and killed afterwards. Robert was furious and he rebelled with Starks to overthrow the Targaryens. Afterwards, he was married to Cersei, who claimed to love him from the very first, but later learned to hate her own husband as he loved another who was dead long ago.
One thing is clear, Robert Baratheon’s rebellion was built on a lie.
Robb Stark and Talisa Maegyr
Robb Stark (Richard Madden) and Talisa Maegyr (Oona Chaplin) fell in love with each other in the middle of a war without knowing the consequences. Their love was pure, free of any demands and needs, they just needed each other. It is true what they say that love is blind, and surely it makes people blind. It makes them mad enough for their partner even they break their sacred oaths for such a divine feeling.
If they didn’t marry, there would be no Red Wedding for sure in season 3.
If Robb knew the price for getting his lady love, he may had given it up for good of his family and even for Talisa. Throughtout the series, all the Starks made very serious mistakes but when it comes to Robb Stark, he broke all the records as his one mistake cost him his entire family.
Even though Robb and Talisa loved each other from the depths of their heart, but still this marriage was still a mistake. Robb sacrificed his kingdom for love.
Margaery Tyrell and Renly Baratheon
Renly Baratheon (Gethin Anthony) was one of the sweetest characters in the series, without a doubt, but his interests were very bold, which was totally against nature. His own desires forced him to live his entire life behind the curtains and excuses. He became the King of Stormlands after the death of his brother, but he already knew that even if he won the Iron Throne, he couldn’t further the family line because of his bold notions.
Renly and Margaery were both political people, but when it comes to love, they were never made for each other.
On the other hand, Margaery was the only lady in the series who had one goal her entire life, and that was to become a queen. She was clever and beautiful, but one thing is certain about her, she could have done anything to become a queen. A lifetime royalty made her blind, and she forgot to pursue other things in her life.
Margaery Tyrell and Joffrey Baratheon
Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) was a mindless and cruel character. Maybe he was born of incest, or was that due to their proud family culture, but he wasn’t meant to be a king. Still, due to having a good family line, he became one of the cruelest kings of Westeros, and to carry his line of succession, he was betrothed to Margaery Tyrell under forced circumstances.
Joffrey was never interested in Margaery, we can say he was never interested in any type of girl at all. All he ever loved was cruelty.
Sadly, their marriage was not even completed as Joff lost his life at his own wedding due to political reasons. The dirty game of politics took another life, but as a matter of fact, he would be alive and might have enjoyed some time with his new wife, if and only if he was a decent person.
Margaery Tyrell and Tommen Baratheon
It was a rare thing having such a sweet member among the Lannisters who don’t act like fools and were famous for their cleverness. Tommen (Dean-Charles Chapman) was younger than Joffrey, also born of incest, but surprisingly a very good, decent young boy. Whether it was a throne or a beautiful wife, all the great things fell in his lap right after his brother’s death, which was a surprise for him as well, but he was forced to do his duty as a royal member of the family.
Luckily, their marriage succeeded, and they spent some good and exotic days with each other, but this marriage was also a short-term relationship due to political ugliness. Tommen was completely in love with his queen after everything they shared with each other shortly after their marriage, but as usual his mother Cersei never wanted to lose her children to someone else, even their betrothed ones.
In short, Cersie Lannister’s manipulative strategies ended the lives of this sweet couple.
Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo
Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke) was one of the most important people from Westeros who was thrown in front of a savage king, Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa), by her own brother. She was given to a horse lord in exchange for an army that could be used to conquer Westeros. Khaleesi was the only sensible Targaryen left in the series who was loved by all, but at the same time was also manipulated and used by some, including her own brother.
The most beautiful part of their marriage is that it started as a political act but ended as a true sacrifice and love.
Daenerys knew that after her marriage to Drogo, she had nowhere to run and hide, so she acted smartly, she made Drogo love her, and managed to succeed in a very short time. Unluckily, her real suffering began after the death of Drogo due to blood magic, but she’s one of the biggest examples of motivation and ambition in the series, as she never refused to move on.
Rhaegar Targaryen and Lyanna Stark
This is indeed the most controversial love story and wedding that totally changed history. This one marriage created so many rumors, ended so many lives and houses, and led to so much confusion between the living couples and families. Rhaegar Targaryen was wed to Elia Martell, but he annulled the marriage and secretly married Lyanna Stark in a ceremony in Dorne.
The fate of the Starks is very confusing at some points, it looks like whenever they truly love someone, it totally changes the history.
Lyanna died on her birthbed, and everyone thought she had died from a forced intimacy with Rhaegar. The child born to them lived half his life in complete confusion, thinking he was an unnatural born son whose mother was not a noble woman. They named their child Aegon Targaryen, who was named Jon Snow by his uncle, so no one realizes his true identity. Ned Stark was his uncle who raised him as his son and kept it a secret otherwise, Robert would have killed him.
Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark
Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage) had all the family instincts, and still, he was wise and gentle besides being so clever. His marriage to Sansa Stark (Sophie Turner) was another act of politics by his father, Tywin Lannister (Charles Dance). Even though Sansa was so beautiful, he never set an eye on her. He always respected her and treated her well.
Sansa, on the other hand, was among the only Starks who made it till the end of the series, but her life became a real set of hell the day she left her home, Winterfell, in the first season. Later, everyone used her in their own ways to benefit themselves, especially Lord Petyr Baelish (Aidan Gillen).
This was Sansa’s first marriage, totally against her will, but at least it was good. It was a short marriage, a bond of compromise, but there was respect and patience from both sides.
Ramsay Bolton and Sansa Stark
If there’s a second name of cruelty and dishonor after Joffrey, it was Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon), and Sansa suffered both of them equally. This was Sansa’s second marriage, and it was also a political move by Lord Petyr Baelish, which later became a real nightmare for Sansa, as Ramsay used to lock her in a room all day and make love against her will whenever he wanted to.
Sansa must have missed Lord Tyrion dearly after what Ramsay did to her.
She became helpless and wanted to get rid of him, but she knew at that point no one could save her because she was a key to the North after her father and brothers. Ramsay, on the other hand, was a type of person who always loved cruelty and bloodshed. He has no place in his life for honor, love, or even family. That’s why even after he was blessed with a beautiful wife with an ancient name and history, he continues to enjoy her in his own way.
After suffering enough from Ramsay, Sansa became a real lady who is no more afraid of hard men, adventures, challenges, or wilderness, which is why she successfully escaped Winterfell on her own.
Petyr Baelish and Lysa Arryn
Lysa Arryn was the widow of Jon Arryn (John Standing), who was late hand of the king Robert Baratheon, a truly gentle and wise man, who lost his life at the hands of cunning and selfish rulers. It was a shocking fact as a viewer that Lord Arryn was killed by his own wife because she had loved another for a very long time. And, she reaped the same seeds she sown for her late husband. She was killed by Petyr shortly after she married her because of a complete misunderstanding.
Petyr never loved Lysa, he only took advantage of her feelings and used her for his own agendas and killings. In reality, he loved his elder sister Lady Catelyn Tully, who thought of him as her brother.
Stannis Baratheon and Selyse Florent
Whatever reputation Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) carries as a Lord, that man always had a respect for her wife, Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald). This couple had very little screen time together, which makes their marriage more boring and love less. They had one daughter, and they lost her as well in pursuit of a stupid ambition.
Stannis always cared about one thing all along, and that is the Iron Throne, he never cared or thought about any other necessary things ot poeple.
Their love is so compromised that they mutually agreed to cheat each other by allowing Lady Melisandre (Carice van Houten) interfere in their married life to please the Lord of Light, who in return granted them a magical shadow which they called Stannis’s son, but, once its purpose is served, we never see that shadow again which clealry shows that they only cheated to kill someone and later it was all for nothing.
Unmarried Couples in Game of Thrones
Jon Snow & Ygritte
Jon Snow and Ygritte are a pure example that you can fall in love with anyone at anyone, you truly have no control over this feeling. They loved each other from the depths of their heart, even their own people noticed it closely, and as usual, everyone denied their relationship because both of them belonged to their ancestral enemies.
Jon (Kit Harrington) and Ygritte (Rose Leslie) are real-life partners. They married in June 2018.
They weren’t married, but they got close somehow and fell in love. The interesting part is that Jon always knew that he was on a mission, and he could never spend his whole life with his lady love. On the other hand, Ygritte believed and trusted Jon and wanted him to fight for her people and give up on all the oaths he made to the Night’s Watch.
Robb Stark fell in love and lost his kingdom while Jon acted smartly, he fell in love but never gave up on his oaths, and that’s why he lived and didn’t lost his life.
Jaime Lannister and Cersei Lannister
These two most powerful children in Westeros shared a very complicated and sinful relationship that even put their family at a high stake. Being brothers and sisters, they made such mistakes that they couldn’t even share them with their children. They had three children who never knew who fathered them and what their real identity was.
They always thought that Targaryens wed their brothers and sisters to keep their bloodline pure, in the same way, they considered their feelings and lust completely pure.
When Lord Stark tried to confront Cersei in the first season, she confidently explained to him how she and Jamie relieve themselves in moments of doubt, which clearly shows that they have been in such an awful relationship since their childhood. Jamie himself openly accepts in front of Lady Catelyn that he has loved only one woman in his whole life, and that’s his sister.
Tyrion Lannister and Shae
Tyrion Lannister was considered among the lowest but certainly the richest Lannisters, and wasn’t even liked by his own father for being a dwarf. Moreover, he was also an utter failure in love. He proved himself as a nice and gentle man among other clever family members, but despite all the good deeds, he was badly betrayed by his own lover in front of everyone, which ended in a sentence of death for Tyrion.
The saddest part is that Tyrion already told Shae how his previous marriage ended as a joke, and still, she betrayed him.
Shae (Sibel Kekilli) was a prostitute, but Tyrion fell in love anyway, and the good part of their relationship is that Tyrion was never ashamed of that. He loved her and even tried to save her for her own safety, which turned out to be a bad idea from Shae’s perspective, and she brought him down in a very bad way.
Samwell Tarly and Gilly
Samwell Tarly (John Bradley) and Gilly Flower (Hannah Murray) are one of the best, politest, and lovely unmarried couples in the series. Looks like Gilly was the only lucky and fortunate daughter of Craster (Robert Pugh) as she managed to escape her disturbing lifestyle, then the wall, and even successfully saved her son as well, and that was all possible because of Samwell.
It was clear in early scenes how desperate Samwell was for girls because he was never with one when he was a lord, but when he finally managed to get one, he proved himself as a man and true lover.
Both of them were leading a miserable life, still they had a lot of adventures together. The shocking part is that Samwell might be the first man in Night’s Watch history who brings a woman to Castle Black. Then it wasn’t enough, and he broke another record, he even brought a woman to Citadel, but the inspiring part is about their love story, as they always supported each other and even raised Gilly’s baby, who was fathered by Gilly’s own father.
This is the only couple who survived till the end of the series, the rest of them either separated or died.
Arya Stark and Gendry Baratheon
Another complex affair that only lasts for a night. Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) thought she might die after the Long Night, so before dying, she just wanted to know what it really feels like when a man and woman sleep together. Obviously, after struggling and fighting her whole life, she never knew anything about love or intimacy. So, she had no one close to her other than Gendry (Joe Dempsie), who was once a prisoner with her.
Arya was never interested in love, all she ever wanted was to be a Knight or to kill all the people who were on her list.
After one night with Arya, Gendry surprisingly fell in love with Arya, and when he was promoted as the Lord of Stormlands by Daenerys Targaryen, he considered this a perfect opportunity to propose to Arya, but sadly, he was refused because he never nothing about Arya beside one thing that she’s a lady.
Brienne of Tarth and Jaime Lannister
Brienne of Tarth (Gwendoline Christie) is among the most loyal and exceptional characters, destined for greatness due to her deeds. She fell in love with Jamie, which makes them a very odd couple because Jamie also began to like her after she left King’s Landing. They never confronted each other when it came to sharing their feelings, their love story was all of a sudden. The good thing is that by the end of the series, they grew bored of teasing and humiliating each other, and their bond became a more respectful one.
Brienne never told anyone about this, but according to overall facts, she never slept with anyone before, but after the Long Night’s battle, she slept with Jamie.
Sadly, their unmarried relationship couldn’t continue as Jamie left her when he realized that King’s Landing would be under attack, so he immediately left her so he could save Cersei, as she was the first woman he ever loved. Brienne begged Jamie, but he never stopped.
That’s a curious fact, but if Jamie had listened to Brienne, he might be alive by the end of the series.
Grey Worm and Missandei
A second-best love story after Samwell and Gilly. Their love is pure of any worldly feelings or demands. Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) was castrated in his early training days, as it was a part of the training to become an Unsullied soldier. These soldiers already knew they could never further the family line or make love with a woman, so they always knew their limitations, still Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) fell in love with him.
Besides being a fictional series, the fact is open to the whole viewership that it could be one of the best love stories they have ever seen. They fell for each other despite knowing that they could never fulfill ordinary love desires. They cared for each other and looked after each other even in the times of war.
Daario Naharis and Daenerys Targaryen
Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman) loved only two things in his entire life, fighting and women. It could be said without a doubt that he fell in love with Daenerys the moment he saw her. It was really awkward when she accepted him even after he betrayed his own fellow men with whom he was living and fighting for a long time. But there’s another certain fact that by the time Daenerys came to the slave cities, she had become clever and political.
Daenerys’s instincts could be judged by the way she won the Unsullied army for free, which might be the biggest victory of hers without any hassle or losing someone close.
Another fact is clear here that Daenerys was never in love with Daario. She liked him because he was very persuasive and encouraging, but she never loved him. This is why she left him behind in Meereen as a close and powerful ally who will rule all the Eastern territories in her name.
Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen
A century before them, when a Targaryen and Stark fell in love, it created such a mess that it destroyed so many lives and all the kingdoms. Still, these two were never afraid of the consequences, and things got more complex when Jon realized his true identity, which was one of the biggest shocks to Daenerys as well. She literally sacrificed her ambition for him, and all of a sudden, he was the only one who had the potential to take away everything she ever had.
Daenerys might have killed Jon after learning his true identity if she didn’t love him. She accepted that harsh truth anyway for the sake of the love she had for him.
Jon, on the other hand, was an exact copy of his father, who honors love, loyalty, and realm before everything else. He loved her and even fought for her, and truly revealed his thoughts and plans about the future of the country. Jon never wanted the throne, but their complex turn-ups ruined their lives, including their love.
