anon who asked the question of sending Ned to the vale. Sorry i miswrote that, i meant from an in-universe point of view. surely it wouldve been better for Brandon to befriend Robert?

geekamarie:

racefortheironthrone:

It may well have been a timing issue – that Brandon was already fostered when Robert’s fostering came up. 

Was the point really befriending Robert? Or was it that Jon Arryn had an embarrassment of nieces and no direct descendants?

The point was to make an Arryn a foster father to a Stark and a Baratheon, and making a Stark and Baratheon foster brothers, thus linking those families together.