What about Rickon?

[Lord Highland]

Rickon is the only Stark other than Robb that does not have a POV. Need I say more?

 

Rickon's Dire Wolf is named Shaggy Dog. Do you know what Shaggy Dog mean in story telling?

Shaggy Dog:In its original sense, a shaggy dog story is an extremely long-winded anecdote characterized by extensive narration of typically irrelevant incidents and terminated by an anticlimax or a pointless punchline. Shaggy dog stories play upon the audience's preconceptions of joke-telling.

 

"and terminated by an anticlimax or a pointless punchline"

 

Rickon is not long for this world

 

Well, according to this definition Rickon is following the exact opposite path that a shaggydog-story would suggest. Instead of being a long story, his is very short, there is no extensive narration and no irrelevant incidents so far. Actually its quite the other way around, instead of following him around in pointless quests, like Brienne, he just disappears. So I ask, will we see an anticlimax/pointless punchline or the exact opposite?

[King Viserys Targaryen IV]

 

Well, according to this definition Rickon is following the exact opposite path that a shaggydog-story would suggest. Instead of being a long story, his is very short, there is no extensive narration and no irrelevant incidents so far. Actually its quite the other way around, instead of following him around in pointless quests, like Brienne, he just disappears. So I ask, will we see an anticlimax/pointless punchline or the exact opposite?

We might not be seeing his story, but Rickon's story spans 3 or 4 years by now, he has gone from Winterfell up through the North and to Skagos. most likely he will journey from there back to Winterfell and is the last hope of the North for a Stark to take back the Lordship of Winterfell. The Anti-climax will him dieing before he can take his seat in Winterfell.

[falcotron]

We might not be seeing his story, but Rickon's story spans 3 or 4 years by now

If you ignore the AGoT prologue, the series spans 1 to 3 years, most likely 2 to 2.5. That may seem like nitpicking, but when you're talking about a character that starts off at 3 years old, "3 or 4 years" is a pretty big difference from "2 and a bit years".

Also, most of his story has taken place not just off-screen, but unmentioned. Really, the only things we've heard about him since he separated from Bran back in the second book are Manderly's third-hand conversation with Davos and Bran's third-hand dream of a wolf fighting a unicorn (not counting various people talking about his nonexistent death). A story that jumps over the whole long middle part unmentioned with "a bunch of stuff happened which I won't bore you with" is not a shaggy dog story.

[falcotron]

There's a very good chance that whatever GRRM's original plans for Rickon were and what we actually get in the last two books will barely resemble each other at all. He was originally planning for the books to span at least 8 years, including a 5-year time skip in the middle. He now seems likely to wrap up the whole story in 3 years. Whatever he had planned for Rickon between the ages of 8 and 11 is not going to work for Rickon between the ages of 5 and 6.

Of course it's possible that he'll throw a time skip into the middle of TWoW, or lots of little skips that stretch the events of that book out over as long a span. Or maybe the Skagosi have some magic artifact that will turn Rickon into an Alia of the Knife character who thinks and talks like an adult despite being 5 years old.

But it seems more likely that Rickon's story will be pretty minimal. Maybe he'll be a figurehead for someone else to rule Winterfell, maybe he and Osha (but more Osha) will have some interesting flashbacks that show us what life was like in the North during the war, maybe there will be some cool travelogue bits in Skagos, etc. But whatever GRRM originally intended him to do as an active player, that role will be scrapped from the story or given to someone else.

[Ice Turtle]

I think that Rickon will turn out to be a Shaggy dog story for Davos. We actually know it almost for sure even now, Manderly won"t support Stanis because there was a trick in his request. Bran not Rickon is his liege lord, all Davos' effort will be for nothing. Stannis might be even dead by the time he returns.

IMO the main purpose of Rickon is to bring Skaggos into story and maybe cause some trouble in Northern succession, but in the long game he is an expendable character and I do not expect him to ever play any mayor role. He is one of the Stark children less likely to live till the last book.

[Dolorous22]

I don't believe the Shaggy Dog Story lark. If you want a SDS see: Brienne. What's more, if you want to send a man on a fool's errand then you first have to pick a fool. Davos is no fool, there's every chance he'd succeed and return a Stark heir to his King - Stannis. That's turning a 'loose end' into a 'loose cannon' if Manderly was indeed inclined to waste Davos' time. And if Manderly just needed Davos out of the way then his prison cell would of been sufficient. 

Personally, I see Davos rescuing him from a Skagos besieged by Whites OR discovering something about the Skagossi that will aid Stannis.

After all the meandering in aFfC and aDwD I can't see any room for a bunch of pointless Davos chapters. Winter has come.

Overall, I think Manderly and his conspirators know Bran went North but I don't think they're holding out for his return, how could they? There's another mysterious figure remaining to the North and that is Howland Reed. He may have the necessary skills to piece together a larger conspiracy.  But if Manderly and co hope to keep their bloodlines free from Freys then they must secure a figure head that the North will remain loyal to and Rickon would suit them just fine. 

[Lord Ravenstark]

I still don't get it why people think Rickon will be a savage man just because he was child under severe stress. People get over things, they grow and mature…

[falcotron]

I still don't get it why people think Rickon will be a savage man just because he was child under severe stress. People get over things, they grow and mature…

Agreed; modern kids even have access to internet forums and YouTube comments growing up, and some of them manage to avoid being savages for life.

[Lady Sharya]

Rickon is the only Stark other than Robb that does not have a POV. Need I say more?

For what it's worth, GRRM said Rickon didn't have a POV because he couldn't write from one so young.

[spoon89]

I still don't get it why people think Rickon will be a savage man just because he was child under severe stress. People get over things, they grow and mature…

 

For one I think that where the wolves mirrored the traits of their "owners", Rickon is far younger and may have mirrored some of the wolf traits.

 

I'm not saying that he's going to be a wolf child and completely wild, but he will not have the influence on him that the rest had.

 

As previously stated I think he will come back as a throwback to the Starks of old, honorable, strongand brave leaders with a vengeful streak. The leader that would be respected in the northern houses and be able to garner respect and lead the freefolk that are likely to be in the North in the end of the story.

[Winter's Cold]

Rickon is the only Stark other than Robb that does not have a POV. Need I say more?

 

Perhaps it means that Rickon will become a king in the last book.