False Spring

The False Spring was a fleeting interval of mild, deceptive warmth that occurred in the year before Robert Baratheon rose in rebellion against the Iron Throne. It is remembered less for the weather itself than for the great tourney held at Harrenhal during that time, an event that brought together many of the principal figures whose rivalries and passions would soon plunge the Seven Kingdoms into war.

The Tourney at Harrenhal

Lord Whent announced the tourney shortly after a visit from his brother, Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard. King Aerys II, growing ever more paranoid, became convinced that his son Prince Rhaegar was conspiring to depose him and that the tourney was merely a pretext for the prince to meet with as many great lords as could be assembled. Aerys had not set foot outside the Red Keep since the Defiance of Duskendale, yet he suddenly declared that he would accompany Rhaegar to Harrenhal, and everything went awry from there. The king's presence poisoned the atmosphere, and the tourney became a stage for the gathering tensions.

The Knight of the Laughing Tree and the Queen of Love and Beauty

A mystery knight appeared at the lists, a small, slight figure who defeated three knights of the Kingsguard before being unmasked—or choosing to remain unknown. The most famous moment of the tourney came in the final joust. Barristan Selmy, who had unhorsed so many others, reflected later that if he had defeated Rhaegar in that last tilt, it would have fallen to him to name the queen of love and beauty. Instead, Rhaegar won. He rode past his own wife, Elia of Dorne, who was present, and placed the crown of blue winter roses in the lap of Lyanna Stark of Winterfell. That choice, witnessed by thousands, set in motion a chain of abductions, betrayals, and deaths that culminated in the rebellion.

Aftermath and Significance

The False Spring ended as abruptly as it had begun, and winter returned with a vengeance. The tourney at Harrenhal became a symbol of the doomed innocence that preceded the war. For Barristan Selmy, the memory of that spring was bitter; he often wondered whether, had he crowned Ashara Dayne instead of Rhaegar crowning Lyanna, much war and woe might have been avoided. The False Spring thus stands as a hinge point in the history of the Seven Kingdoms—a brief, illusory thaw before the bloodiest conflict in a generation.