Predictions for Rickon?

[Brandon Ice-Eyes]

Predictions for Rickons Story Arc?

So the title is pretty self explanatory - How do you guys think Rickon story arc will play out and how do you think his story will end? 

Leave your Predictions down below

[Euron III Greyjoy]

He has the perfect opportunity to bring Skagos into the fold. The North more so then the other places in Westeros has lost most of its army, and with the Others starting their attack in the North they need people to help defend, why not the Skagosi.

I also think he will be the person who the North rallies behind. The only Starks known to be alive are Rickon and Jon, and I feel like the North is more likely to rally behind a trueborn then a bastard. 

[scumhorror]

While rereading I've noticed how people speak of the wild, hard nature of the old kings of the north. We also see how wild rickon has become as his family disappears from him. I think he will be the king in the north that is reminiscent of the old kings.

[Legitimate_Bastard]

I see Skagos playing a much larger role in the remainder of the story than it has so far. I agree with ElolmFizzy and scumhorror - the North will rally around Rickon, who will have become hardened during his time in the wild.

I also think that Skagos played some larger role during the Long Night - I think that the old northern practices that so many see as barbaric will have some kind of twist. Blood sacrifices to stave off the Long Night, something in the same fashion as Craster.

Plus, Skagos is home to Unicorns. I want to see Unicorns!!

 

[Makk]

3 hours ago, Legitimate_Bastard said:

I see Skagos playing a much larger role in the remainder of the story than it has so far. I agree with ElolmFizzy and scumhorror - the North will rally around Rickon, who will have become hardened during his time in the wild.

I also think that Skagos played some larger role during the Long Night - I think that the old northern practices that so many see as barbaric will have some kind of twist. Blood sacrifices to stave off the Long Night, something in the same fashion as Craster.

Plus, Skagos is home to Unicorns. I want to see Unicorns!!

 

I'm not sure Crasters sacrifices staved off the long night, they were more likely to hasten it. The only human it helped was Craster.

Also as an aside I think the North are more likely to follow and rally behind Jon than Rickon. Jon is a grown man and a proven commander while Rickon is a 6(?) year old boy with no education. Jon also had Robb's will likely naming and legitimising him.

[Legitimate_Bastard]

1 minute ago, Makk said:

I'm not sure Crasters sacrifices staved off the long night, they were more likely to hasten it. The only human it helped was Craster.

Also as an aside I think the North are more likely to follow and rally behind Jon than Rickon. Jon is a grown man and a proven commander while Rickon is a 6(?) year old boy with no education. Jon also had Robb's will likely naming and legitimising him.

To be sure, Jon will command. I think Rickon will be the figurehead Stark, though. IDK.

The thing with Craster baffles me. How did he figure out to sacrifice to them? I thought the sacrifice was preventing them from coming forth. Was he carrying on a sacrifice that has been going on since the Long Night?

[Euron III Greyjoy]

8 minutes ago, Makk said:

Also as an aside I think the North are more likely to follow and rally behind Jon than Rickon. Jon is a grown man and a proven commander while Rickon is a 6(?) year old boy with no education. Jon also had Robb's will likely naming and legitimising him.

Sure Jon will be the one leading the armies, hell he might even end up as regent, but so long as there is legitimate Stark male out there he will probably be the figurehead. 

[Lollygag]

I get a pretty bad vibe around Rickon.

We see Shaggydog often opposed to the people at Winterfell, at Summer and Greywind, at Robb and Bran. Rickon was more or less abandoned by his family and he wasn’t exactly even-tempered to begin with. His wolf started out as grey and was the only one to darken to black. And then his green fire demon-eyes are mentioned repeatedly.

AGOT Bran IV

Summer snatched table scraps from Bran's hand, while Grey Wind and Shaggydog fought over a bone in the corner. Winterfell's dogs would not come near the hall now. Bran had found that strange at first, but he was growing used to it.

 

AGOT Bran VI

His baby brother had been wild as a winter storm since he learned Robb was riding off to war, weeping and angry by turns. He'd refused to eat, cried and screamed for most of a night, even punched Old Nan when she tried to sing him to sleep, and the next day he'd vanished. Robb had set half the castle searching for him, and when at last they'd found him down in the crypts, Rickon had slashed at them with a rusted iron sword he'd snatched from a dead king's hand, and Shaggydog had come slavering out of the darkness like a green-eyed demon. The wolf was near as wild as Rickon; he'd bitten Gage on the arm and torn a chunk of flesh from Mikken's thigh. It had taken Robb himself and Grey Wind to bring him to bay. Farlen had the black wolf chained up in the kennels now, and Rickon cried all the more for being without him.

...

Bran watched from his window seat. Wherever the boy went, Grey Wind was there first, loping ahead to cut him off, until Rickon saw him, screamed in delight, and went pelting off in another direction. Shaggydog ran at his heels, spinning and snapping if the other wolves came too close. His fur had darkened until he was all black, and his eyes were green fire. Bran's Summer came last. He was silver and smoke, with eyes of yellow gold that saw all there was to see. Smaller than Grey Wind, and more wary. Bran thought he was the smartest of the litter. He could hear his brother's breathless laughter as Rickon dashed across the hard-packed earth on little baby legs.

...

Robb had been holding his breath. He let it out with a sigh and called, "Grey Wind." His direwolf moved to him, swift and silent. Now there was only Shaggy dog, rumbling at the small man, his eyes burning like green fire.

 

AGOT Bran VII

The darkness sprang at him, snarling.

Bran saw eyes like green fire, a flash of teeth, fur as black as the pit around them. Maester Luwin yelled and threw up his hands. The torch went flying from his fingers, caromed off the stone face of Brandon Stark, and tumbled to the statue's feet, the flames licking up his legs. In the drunken shifting torchlight, they saw Luwin struggling with the direwolf, beating at his muzzle with one hand while the jaws closed on the other.

"Summer!" Bran screamed.

And Summer came, shooting from the dimness behind them, a leaping shadow. He slammed into Shaggydog and knocked him back, and the two direwolves rolled over and over in a tangle of grey and black fur, snapping and biting at each other, while Maester Luwin struggled to his knees, his arm torn and bloody. Osha propped Bran up against Lord Rickard's stone wolf as she hurried to assist the maester. In the light of the guttering torch, shadow wolves twenty feet tall fought on the wall and roof.

"Shaggy," a small voice called. When Bran looked up, his little brother was standing in the mouth of Father's tomb. With one final snap at Summer's face, Shaggydog broke off and bounded to Rickon's side. "You let my father be," Rickon warned Luwin. "You let him be."

…

"Bran," the maester said firmly, "I know you mean well, but Shaggydog is too wild to run loose. I'm the third man he's savaged. Give him the freedom of the castle and it's only a question of time before he kills someone. The truth is hard, but the wolf has to be chained, or …" He hesitated.

 

ACOK Bran I

"That was Shaggydog." Rickon's big black wolf was so wild he even frightened Bran at times. "Summer never bit anyone."

 

ACOK Bran II

No sooner had Hodor entered the godswood than Summer emerged from under an oak, almost as if he had known they were coming. Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well. "Shaggy," he called. "Here, Shaggydog. To me." But Rickon's wolf vanished as swiftly as he'd appeared.

 

The Stark kids all have something significant in common with their namesakes and Rickon, named for Rickard, makes unusual alliances. Here we have Rickon allied with the Freys and symbolically associated with Greyjoys, Wildlings, Boltons, and Lannisters. That may or may not be a bad thing, but I think it's important that Bran feels angry and betrayed, and that Rickon couldn't care less.

AGOT Bran VI

Finally Rickon came running into the godswood, Shaggydog at his heels. He watched Turnip and Little Walder struggle for the stick until Turnip lost his footing and went in with a huge splash, arms waving. Rickon yelled, "Me! Me now! I want to play!" Little Walder beckoned him on, and Shaggydog started to follow. "No, Shaggy," his brother commanded. "Wolves can't play. You stay with Bran." And he did . . .

. . . until Little Walder had smacked Rickon with the stick, square across his belly. Before Bran could blink, the black wolf was flying over the plank, there was blood in the water, the Walders were shrieking red murder, Rickon sat in the mud laughing, and Hodor came lumbering in shouting "Hodor! Hodor! Hodor!"

After that, oddly, Rickon decided he liked the Walders. They never played lord of the crossing again, but they played other games—monsters and maidens, rats and cats, come-into-my-castle, all sorts of things. With Rickon by their side, the Walders plundered (GREYJOYS plunder) the kitchens for pies and honeycombs, raced round the walls (WILDLINGS), tossed bones to the pups in the kennels (BOLTONS), and trained with wooden swords under Ser Rodrik's sharp eye (RECALLS JOFF SPARING WITH ROBB/LANNISTERS). Rickon even showed them the deep vaults under the earth where the stonemason was carving father's tomb. "You had no right!" Bran screamed at his brother when he heard. "That was our place, a Stark place!" But Rickon never cared.

 

[argonak]

47 minutes ago, Legitimate_Bastard said:

To be sure, Jon will command. I think Rickon will be the figurehead Stark, though. IDK.

The thing with Craster baffles me. How did he figure out to sacrifice to them? I thought the sacrifice was preventing them from coming forth. Was he carrying on a sacrifice that has been going on since the Long Night?

Craster probably started off just exposing the boy children because he's an evil selfish monster, and then one day the Others came and took the baby from him, and he assumed he'd made some sort of arrangement with them.  They have a language and a culture, so they must have found this useful and beneficial somehow.

 

8 hours ago, •Brandon Ice Eyes said:

Predictions for Rickons Story Arc?

So the title is pretty self explanatory - How do you guys think Rickon story arc will play out and how do you think his story will end? 

Leave your Predictions down below

Rickon is 6 years old.  He's been seperated from his father and mother for 3 years, his brother for 2.  If Davos finds Rickon at all, he's going to find an essentially wildling boy who can warg a giant direwolf.  He won't be literate, he won't be combat trained, he's basically going to be a boy form of princess Monoke.

Actually that sounds kind of cool.  Maybe Davos will find Rickon, but end up in the Riverlands, and Rickon and Shaggydog will head off to join Nymeria's pack.  That'd be all kinds of awesome.  Six year old boy riding a direwolf leading a huge pack of wolves to kill all the Freys in the Twins! hah!

[Legitimate_Bastard]

12 minutes ago, Lollygag said:

I get a pretty bad vibe around Rickon.

We see Shaggydog often opposed to the people at Winterfell, at Summer and Greywind, at Robb and Bran. Rickon was more or less abandoned by his family and he wasn’t exactly even-tempered to begin with. His wolf started out as grey and was the only one to darken to black. And then his green fire demon-eyes are mentioned repeatedly.

 

AGOT Bran IV

 

Summer snatched table scraps from Bran's hand, while Grey Wind and Shaggydog fought over a bone in the corner. Winterfell's dogs would not come near the hall now. Bran had found that strange at first, but he was growing used to it.

 

 

 

AGOT Bran VI

 

His baby brother had been wild as a winter storm since he learned Robb was riding off to war, weeping and angry by turns. He'd refused to eat, cried and screamed for most of a night, even punched Old Nan when she tried to sing him to sleep, and the next day he'd vanished. Robb had set half the castle searching for him, and when at last they'd found him down in the crypts, Rickon had slashed at them with a rusted iron sword he'd snatched from a dead king's hand, and Shaggydog had come slavering out of the darkness like a green-eyed demon. The wolf was near as wild as Rickon; he'd bitten Gage on the arm and torn a chunk of flesh from Mikken's thigh. It had taken Robb himself and Grey Wind to bring him to bay. Farlen had the black wolf chained up in the kennels now, and Rickon cried all the more for being without him.

 

...

 

Bran watched from his window seat. Wherever the boy went, Grey Wind was there first, loping ahead to cut him off, until Rickon saw him, screamed in delight, and went pelting off in another direction. Shaggydog ran at his heels, spinning and snapping if the other wolves came too close. His fur had darkened until he was all black, and his eyes were green fire. Bran's Summer came last. He was silver and smoke, with eyes of yellow gold that saw all there was to see. Smaller than Grey Wind, and more wary. Bran thought he was the smartest of the litter. He could hear his brother's breathless laughter as Rickon dashed across the hard-packed earth on little baby legs.

 

...

 

Robb had been holding his breath. He let it out with a sigh and called, "Grey Wind." His direwolf moved to him, swift and silent. Now there was only Shaggy dog, rumbling at the small man, his eyes burning like green fire.

 

 

 

AGOT Bran VII

 

The darkness sprang at him, snarling.

 

Bran saw eyes like green fire, a flash of teeth, fur as black as the pit around them. Maester Luwin yelled and threw up his hands. The torch went flying from his fingers, caromed off the stone face of Brandon Stark, and tumbled to the statue's feet, the flames licking up his legs. In the drunken shifting torchlight, they saw Luwin struggling with the direwolf, beating at his muzzle with one hand while the jaws closed on the other.

 

"Summer!" Bran screamed.

 

And Summer came, shooting from the dimness behind them, a leaping shadow. He slammed into Shaggydog and knocked him back, and the two direwolves rolled over and over in a tangle of grey and black fur, snapping and biting at each other, while Maester Luwin struggled to his knees, his arm torn and bloody. Osha propped Bran up against Lord Rickard's stone wolf as she hurried to assist the maester. In the light of the guttering torch, shadow wolves twenty feet tall fought on the wall and roof.

 

"Shaggy," a small voice called. When Bran looked up, his little brother was standing in the mouth of Father's tomb. With one final snap at Summer's face, Shaggydog broke off and bounded to Rickon's side. "You let my father be," Rickon warned Luwin. "You let him be."

 

…

 

"Bran," the maester said firmly, "I know you mean well, but Shaggydog is too wild to run loose. I'm the third man he's savaged. Give him the freedom of the castle and it's only a question of time before he kills someone. The truth is hard, but the wolf has to be chained, or …" He hesitated.

 

 

 

ACOK Bran I

 

"That was Shaggydog." Rickon's big black wolf was so wild he even frightened Bran at times. "Summer never bit anyone."

 

 

 

ACOK Bran II

 

No sooner had Hodor entered the godswood than Summer emerged from under an oak, almost as if he had known they were coming. Bran glimpsed a lean black shape watching from the undergrowth as well. "Shaggy," he called. "Here, Shaggydog. To me." But Rickon's wolf vanished as swiftly as he'd appeared.

 

 

 

 

The Stark kids all have something significant in common with their namesakes and Rickon, named for Rickard, makes unusual alliances. Here we have Rickon allied with the Freys and symbolically associated with Greyjoys, Wildlings, Boltons, and Lannisters. That may or may not be a bad thing, but I think it's important that Bran feels angry and betrayed, and that Rickon couldn't care less.

 

AGOT Bran VI

 

Finally Rickon came running into the godswood, Shaggydog at his heels. He watched Turnip and Little Walder struggle for the stick until Turnip lost his footing and went in with a huge splash, arms waving. Rickon yelled, "Me! Me now! I want to play!" Little Walder beckoned him on, and Shaggydog started to follow. "No, Shaggy," his brother commanded. "Wolves can't play. You stay with Bran." And he did . . .

 

. . . until Little Walder had smacked Rickon with the stick, square across his belly. Before Bran could blink, the black wolf was flying over the plank, there was blood in the water, the Walders were shrieking red murder, Rickon sat in the mud laughing, and Hodor came lumbering in shouting "Hodor! Hodor! Hodor!"

 

After that, oddly, Rickon decided he liked the Walders. They never played lord of the crossing again, but they played other games—monsters and maidens, rats and cats, come-into-my-castle, all sorts of things. With Rickon by their side, the Walders plundered (GREYJOYS plunder) the kitchens for pies and honeycombs, raced round the walls (WILDLINGS), tossed bones to the pups in the kennels (BOLTONS), and trained with wooden swords under Ser Rodrik's sharp eye (RECALLS JOFF SPARING WITH ROBB/LANNISTERS). Rickon even showed them the deep vaults under the earth where the stonemason was carving father's tomb. "You had no right!" Bran screamed at his brother when he heard. "That was our place, a Stark place!" But Rickon never cared.

 

 

 

Damn. No that doesn't bode well. He may turn out Bolton/Skagosi-esque. Think about it - his formative years have been ROUGH. 

[cpg2016]

My guess is he dies in some meaningless way somewhere on Skagos.  The point of his story is that it goes nowhere.  Hence why it's a "shaggydog" story

Sansa, Bran, and Arya have all received intense training in various fields of skill which might be relevant to the greater plot, or to running shit after the War for the Dawn.  Rickon just... hasn't.  Sansa, Bran, and Arya are all major POV characters.  Rickon just... isn't.   He's a MacGuffin that gets other actors moving, such as Davos, and gets us to new and interesting places for other characters to develop.  Besides which, his existence blocks the eventual political ascendancy of Sansa.

And this makes sense.  GRRM isn't out to show that being a Stark means having some glorious destiny due to bloodline.  Rickon is Jon's mirror; the whole point is that merely being born a Stark doesn't mark you out for greatness, its the values Ned instilled in his kids, and that they're holding to and building on since his death, that will define them and make them great.  Jon isn't a Stark, but his love for his cousins and his adherence to what Ned taught him about justice will lead him to save the world.  Rickon is a Stark, but he was too young to understand what his siblings do, and his more mature years being spent around Freys and Skagosi and such, as @Legitimate_Bastard says, means he never will.  Stark blood without the Stark sense of justice is worthless, and he'll be the dark mirror to Jon to prove that there is no such thing as magical "Skywalker blood" in ASOIAF

[Kandrax]

Big Walder will turn him into Reekon.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

R.I.P Rickon Stark .

[Giant Ice Spider]

Wyman Manderley's plans for Rickon are known to the reader. It's very rare in ASOIAF that announced plans succeed. The few that do succeed usually have negative consequences later on (Myrcella is sent to Dorne, per Tyrion's plan, for instance, but we all know how that ends). So I wager that Rickon, if he survives TWOW, won't end up Lord of Winterfell. Jon or Sansa will get in the way.

[The hairy bear]

The "classic" theory for Rickon, that's been around since before the publication of ASOS, is that his role will consist on becoming Lord Stark and perpetuating the Stark lineage.

Since Robb is dead, Jon (according to R+L=J) is a Targaryen and will end as king in the Iron Throne, Bran is a cripple, and Sansa and Arya are girls, Rickon is would be a natural choice to appoint as Lord Stark at the end of the series. He doesn't need to have fought in any battle or achieve anything on his own. He'd be just a figurehead who at least would give the readers the satisfaction of knowing that the Stark line will continue.

[Curled Finger]

I'm reading through the comments about Skagos in particular here and I'm not trying to bash anyone.    Just always seemed to me that Skagos can't possibly be as terrifying a place as we think it is.    Sure we know from AWOIAF that it values it's privacy, but what makes anyone think that children aren't educated and trained there?  I'm having half a memory about Skagosi making the trip to Winterfell to pledge their service as well as joining their fighters to the North in a time of great need.   This doesn't scream cannibal barbarians to me.   I would go so far as to accuse the Skagosi of being somewhat international at their station with all the merchants cruising by.  Isn't there an old Stark Lord or King who married a Skagosi woman?   Further, Osha chose Skagos for a reason.   I don't recall her claiming to be Skagosi, but given the value of her ward, it's entirely possible it was the safest place to hide.  It's not like they're Thenns, for crying out loud!   

By and large I'm with the Shaggy Dog camp on Rickon.   Still I think there is some story left for him that I hope includes a trip home to stabilize a few political balls in the air.   I can see Rickon being the vehicle by which all the Starks or even 1 or 2 Starks are drawn back to Winterfell.  Even if that turns out not to be the case, Manderly and Glover are willing to support any Stark at all.      

[honorable men]

2 hours ago, Curled Finger said:

I'm reading through the comments about Skagos in particular here and I'm not trying to bash anyone.    Just always seemed to me that Skagos can't possibly be as terrifying a place as we think it is.    Sure we know from AWOIAF that it values it's privacy, but what makes anyone think that children aren't educated and trained there?  I'm having half a memory about Skagosi making the trip to Winterfell to pledge their service as well as joining their fighters to the North in a time of great need.   This doesn't scream cannibal barbarians to me.   I would go so far as to accuse the Skagosi of being somewhat international at their station with all the merchants cruising by.  Isn't there an old Stark Lord or King who married a Skagosi woman?   Further, Osha chose Skagos for a reason.   I don't recall her claiming to be Skagosi, but given the value of her ward, it's entirely possible it was the safest place to hide.  It's not like they're Thenns, for crying out loud!   

By and large I'm with the Shaggy Dog camp on Rickon.   Still I think there is some story left for him that I hope includes a trip home to stabilize a few political balls in the air.   I can see Rickon being the vehicle by which all the Starks or even 1 or 2 Starks are drawn back to Winterfell.  Even if that turns out not to be the case, Manderly and Glover are willing to support any Stark at all.      

Of course its hyped up, lol

The problem is getting there, walking around with a 3 year  old and trying to get onto a ship that can handle the Skagosi waters.

 

If Rickon does make it to Skagos, Its best for him to chill there while everything else calms down on the mainland.

[The Sleeper]

On 9/18/2018 at 11:19 PM, Makk said:

Also as an aside I think the North are more likely to follow and rally behind Jon than Rickon. Jon is a grown man and a proven commander while Rickon is a 6(?) year old boy with no education. Jon also had Robb's will likely naming and legitimising him.

I would argue that the North is more likely to follow the Manderlys who have in their custody a true-born Stark, rather than a bastard backed by savages. At least some of them will think that way. 

I think that Jon would more likely draw to his cause those who do not care to see any particular house in the North gaining prominence and maybe seen as the man with the plan when they become plagued by wights. 

Robb's will was written under the mistaken belief that both Bran and Rickon were dead. Rickon's mere presence undermines it. 

[Firefae]

4 hours ago, Curled Finger said:

I'm reading through the comments about Skagos in particular here and I'm not trying to bash anyone.    Just always seemed to me that Skagos can't possibly be as terrifying a place as we think it is.    Sure we know from AWOIAF that it values it's privacy, but what makes anyone think that children aren't educated and trained there?  I'm having half a memory about Skagosi making the trip to Winterfell to pledge their service as well as joining their fighters to the North in a time of great need.   This doesn't scream cannibal barbarians to me.   I would go so far as to accuse the Skagosi of being somewhat international at their station with all the merchants cruising by.  Isn't there an old Stark Lord or King who married a Skagosi woman?   Further, Osha chose Skagos for a reason.   I don't recall her claiming to be Skagosi, but given the value of her ward, it's entirely possible it was the safest place to hide.  It's not like they're Thenns, for crying out loud!   

By and large I'm with the Shaggy Dog camp on Rickon.   Still I think there is some story left for him that I hope includes a trip home to stabilize a few political balls in the air.   I can see Rickon being the vehicle by which all the Starks or even 1 or 2 Starks are drawn back to Winterfell.  Even if that turns out not to be the case, Manderly and Glover are willing to support any Stark at all.      

Agreed here. Like the rest of Westeros Skagos has their own Houses so they most likely also have a feudal society too. There are most likely differences but I can see it a bit like the Northern Clans( with cannibalism of course).

[kissdbyfire]

On 9/18/2018 at 4:23 PM, Legitimate_Bastard said:

To be sure, Jon will command. I think Rickon will be the figurehead Stark, though. IDK.

Jon Snow will be the King of Winter. He will bring people(s) together to fight in the upcoming war against the threat from the far north. But someone else will be LoW/KitN afterwards, and Rickon is a very likely candidate imo. 

I also don't buy into Shaggy's name being foreshadowing for Rickon's fate. I mean, Martin creates the most complex mysteries and leads the reader down several rabbit holes, he uses tons of symbolism and clues hidden in plain sight, etc. And then he just spells out from the get-go that Rickon's is a shaggydog story? Really don't think so. 

On 9/18/2018 at 4:23 PM, Legitimate_Bastard said:

The thing with Craster baffles me. How did he figure out to sacrifice to them? I thought the sacrifice was preventing them from coming forth. Was he carrying on a sacrifice that has been going on since the Long Night?

Craster is a PoS, certainly way up there in the "most despicable and horrific arsehole" in the series. I think he's also full of shit. By getting rid of the boys he is getting rid of possible future competition/challenge to his "rule". The fact that the WWs seem to leave him alone may be coincidental or due to something else entirely. Of course, it may also be that the WWs actually use the boys and leave him alone for that reason. Still, imo, he started leaving the newborn boys to die for the reasons I already stated.