What was asked is why she would be willing to recognize him/legitimize him, what would the advantage be?

We don’t actually know that she didn’t go willingly, but let’s accept that she didn’t for the sake of argument. In Westeros, the willingness of the bride has no bearing. Technically, Sansa is not a widow, and if she’d had a child it would have been a Bolton, no matter that she was unwilling. If Rhaegar and Lyanna were…

Who says she needed to be rescued? Ned, et al. thought she needed to be. Doesn’t mean she actually did.

Quick thought...think of Robert Baratheon. Imagine him when he was younger (and less fat)...dude was a total frat bro - drinking and whoring and fighting. Now think of Rhaegar Targareyn - famously good looks, a silver voice known for singing, and a noble demeanor (and I don’t mean he was nobility, I mean, the dude was…

Why secret? Because Rhaegar was already married. Because Lyanna was betrothed to someone else. They could’ve been two people in lust/love who eloped. Elopement/secret marriage doesn’t mean the relationship or marriage isn’t legitimate, it merely means there are family/political constraints against the marriage from…

No one knew that she didn’t need to be rescued.

If the parents are married, he’s not a bastard. That’s how it works. Willing marriage doesn’t matter, especially not in Westeros. As such, nothing needs to be legitimized. (Especially considering that the Targs were polygamous.)

I suspect we may find out she left with Rhaegar willingly (after finding out she was pregnant) but Robert’s rage created the tale of her abduction and possible rape at Rheagar’s hands.

Actually, we have no way to know if she was willing or not. But, if she is anything like Arya (which had been alluded too), I doubt it was 100% unwilling.

She didn’t need to be rescued. She was likely hiding out there until Rhaegar came back. Unfortunately, Robert killed him, so he didn’t come back. Then she gave birth. She was obviously gone for months. Arthur Dayne and the Kingsguard had it on orders to protect Lyanna and the child with their lives, and they did. They…

She absolutely wanted to be with Rhaegar. Robert’s Rebellion was a result of Robert’s arrogance. He could never imagine she’d choose a Targ over him. Thus, she must have been raped and kidnapped.

Maybe.

The speculation was always that Lyanna and Rheagar were in fact married. The Targaryens were known to have multiple wives in the past.

The point is that if Jon’s true name is Rhaegar, the chance that they ran away in love as opposed to him kidnapping Lyanna just went up to 100%. Rhaegar was dead by the time Jon was born so the name was all Lyanna’s idea. It would be good shorthand for the show since I doubt they want to explain/flashback the whole…

I’m not saying I “don’t want” any of these things in particular. I do! I want basically everything except Sansa marrying Ramsay, but since that ship has sailed, I am satisfied that she got to feed him to dogs. But what I also want is what the first four seasons did...for the things that I both want, and get, to make…

Blonde is recessive, brunette is dominant.
You can have two brunette parents give birth to blonde children.
But two blonde parents CANNOT Sire a brunette.
So Lyanna being a brunette would mean that she COULD have a blonde child, the statistically she is more likely to have a brunette child.

Dark features usually trump lighter ones. But Westerosi noble houses have kept the same colourings for thousands of years so I don’t think genetics work the same way there. Though there have been dark Targaryens before. Baelor Breakspear was described as dark with a salt and pepper beard in The Hedge Knight.

That’s fine. All I care about is gratuitous HBO sex melting the ice zombies. Is that in the outline?

As long as one of those weddings is Tormund and Brienne

Calling the ending: Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen marry and the steamy softcore passion of their wedding night, gratuitously depicted by HBO, melts all the ice zombies.