Davos' breaking point.

[The Sleeper]

Davos, in the series is an example of a loyal vassal. Stannis after all changed his circumstances radically and perhaps more importantly to Davos his sons' prospects.

Davos however has already lost four sons to Stannis's cause. Still, the sons he lost died in battle and the service they died in is part of the same prospects they gained. It has come to the point that the rest of his family is in danger. Had Melisandre not kept Devan by her side he might have died already of cold and hunger and the Rainwood is crawling with the Golden Company, meaning that Davos's wife and younger two sons are in their mercy and could potentially be held hostages against him.

So, do you think that Davos's loyalty will be further tested? And how far would it stretch. 

[Seams]

I'm seeing lots of little clues that Davos has an important destiny in the books. (In a recent thread, I noted that there are parallels between Davos and Bran.)

I suspect Melisandre is well aware of something special about Davos and she keeps Devan nearby not just to keep him safe, but because he may have a special bloodline that Melisandre wants to use and control. It's not just Davos's wife and two younger sons who are vulnerable. Something involving Melisandre and Devon could be one of the tests in store for Davos.

I'm also wondering whether the Skagos mission is a wild goose chase. I have a strange suspicion that the boy who presented himself as Wex Pyke might not be Wex Pyke. What if he is Rickon? There's no wolf lurking nearby, and our last glimpse of Rickon was of a whiny baby, but maybe we underestimate him. Even if Wex Pyke is who he says he is, there's something fishy about this trip to Skagos.

As for loyalty, I think Davos will be loyal to Stannis until one or the other of them dies. If Stannis dies first, Davos will think about him often and reflect back on the things Stannis taught him, sort of like Dunk constantly remembering the things Ser Arlan taught him, Brienne remembering lessons from Ser Goodwin, and Bran remembering Old Nan's stories. It might be that Stannis is teaching Davos how to be a king.

[Arnizipal]

Wex is much older than Rickon though. 

[Chris Mormont]

The "Skagos Mission" may be a wild goose chase but there is no connection with Melisandre.  And there is no way, because of the age difference that Wex is Rickon. 

[Kandrax]

8 hours ago, Seams said:

What if he is Rickon? 

Kids are growing lot faster these days.

[Canon Claude]

Davos will have a lot to do in the North, but I don’t think his search for Rickon is a goose chase. Bringing in Wex Pyke would be so stupid and pointless if it wasn’t the real Rickon on Skagos (plus Bran has a vision where Shaggydog is fighting a unicorn). 

As for the breaking point, I don’t think he will break. If he didn’t break yet, he won’t break now. Stannis did more for him than anyone else would have done, and he treats Davos as close to an equal as any nobleman ever would. That counts for a lot. Stannis and Davos will not break apart, especially because this is GRRM and not D & D writing the story.

[The Sleeper]

7 hours ago, Canon Claude said:

As for the breaking point, I don’t think he will break. If he didn’t break yet, he won’t break now. Stannis did more for him than anyone else would have done, and he treats Davos as close to an equal as any nobleman ever would. That counts for a lot. Stannis and Davos will not break apart, especially because this is GRRM and not D & D writing the story.

Even if it comes down to a choice between his loyalty to Stannis and the lives of the rest of his children? In Dance, Davos sympathizes with Wyman over the fate of his own son and ponders how far would he go to protect his own children. It is not an unlikely scenario. Suppose his younger two sons become hostages of Aegon? Or someone in the North takes Devan hostage and the price of his life is to betray Stannis.

The other aspect is how far Stannis will go and how far Davos is willing to follow him. Stannis was on the verge of sacrificing Edric Storm and Davos was not willing to go along with that. Stannis' circumstances might he looking to become even more desperate in the immediate future. Would Davos still be firmly on Stannis's side if he, for example, chose to sacrifice Shireen?

[Corvo the Crow]

Davos would never sacrifice a child to save the worldos and all the people living on it but he will not hesitate for a moment on sacrificing even his sons and his wife if it means saving, or even pleasing Stannis. Stannis is his god he made him and blessed him with his trust.

[Chancho]

The good part is Skagos is close by the Wall, so Davos might reunite with his son soon, the bad part is the night watch is fucked and there is dead things in the water and i can feel in my bones there will be a bridge of ice somewhere close to eastwatch by the sea.

[867-5309]

Davos might not have a breaking point.  He's a simple man and he feels for Stannis.  

[Lord Lannister]

Davos has already demonstrated he'll go against Stannis if he feels it's the right thing to do. Defying his king to save Edric Storm, knowing full well he was likely to die for it, was perhaps one of the most knightly deeds in the novels. His loyalty towards Stannis is very strong, perhaps as strong as any claimant can claim from a bannerman. But it has it's limits.

[Frey Kings]

The fate of Rickon won't appear probably til towards the end of the book. It is known that GRRM has trouble writing for younger characters especially 3 year olds.