Rickon Theories?

[WinterfellDownAndCantGetUp]

Definitely agree that Shaggydog could very well spell the end for Ramsay. As much as Ramsay's boasts about his girls could foreshadow Shaggy's death, they are also hubristic, so I would guess they foreshadow Ramsay's downfall. It would be very GRRM for Ramsay to have gone to all the effort of training them to kill direwolves, only to realize in the moment before his death that it didn't matter at all - they've never faced a real direwolf, and they never had a chance.

Also remember Arya from ASOS being all "one day you'll learn what wolves do to hounds." Not related to Ramsay, but the idea is the same...

Reading thru this I have noticed that most people are talking about how he will come back i.e. leading an army with unicorns or where he will end up i.e. King of the North.

What I am curious about is when he comes back how will that effect the current situations in the North.

Will the Northmen turn to him as a figurehead and turn on their alliance with Stannis?

How will Stannis try to use him? Is it the army of the North that Stannis will need or will the circumstances be that Rickon's kings blood will be more beneficial in Stannis' plan at the time.

The return of Rickon could mean Stannis losing the support of the Northmen. Do you think Manderly and the others would be ok with Rickon as Warden or would they insist on KitN. Stan wouldn't go with that title for Rob so I doubt he would change now.

I also have a gut feeling (that I have posted about) that Rickon will be the reason that Davos has to choose between what he feels to be right and however Stannis plans on using him. Davos will turn on Stannis to protect Rickon in some way.

I don't know what Rickons ending will be but I have a feeling that his return will set forth events that will set Stannis' character arc in a direction that none of us are expecting..

I'm thinking Mel is going to try to burn Shireen (I pray to the old gods and the new that she is not successful, but I'm worried) and THAT is going to be what sets Stannis' arc careening in a new direction. It could be the northmen supporting Rickon, but there's this Manderly quote from ADWD Davos IV that has me thinking otherwise:

"...White Harbor must have Ned's son... and the direwolf. The wolf will prove the boy is who we say he is, should the Dreadfort attempt to deny him. That is my price, Lord Davos. Smuggle me back my liege lord, and I will take Stannis Baratheon as my king."

I'm assuming Lord Manderly is being honest with Davos, because hell, he's told Davos everything else. This suggests Manderly would accept Rickon as Warden/Lord Paramount of the North under Stannis. Manderly says in the same chapter that he could fairly easily take control of the entire eastern half of the North. I'm guessing that if he were to declare for Stannis in Rickon's name, the other lords of the North would follow.

Of course if you subscribe to the GNC then you don't necessarily buy this, but I think Manderly's serious about this. We have good reason to believe

that Manderly will clean up the Freys and report to Stannis at the ice lake. The question then, is, does Stannis believe him when he says he kept Davos alive and sent him to bring them a Stark?

I do think Manderly will declare for Stannis after Rickon's back, and the North will follow his lead.

[BRANDON GREYSTARK]

IMO Rickon is dead .

1Rickon is too minor of a character

2Too young

3The Stone men hates the Starks

4I keep thinking about the seeing of the ghost of the high heart .I dream of a wolf howling in the rain ,nobody can hear his grief .Since the last time we heard about Shaggydog he was in the rain fighting a unicorn.

[Sarahlee]

I know he is young but that doesn't seem to matter, a random theory im sure mentioned before he may be aa or the prince that was promised after all the last time we saw him he was still a prince. Theon and his men the salt and winterfell burning the smoke. If he is retrieved from hiding and the north rallies they may be "light bringer" the mention of osric stark may have two meanings i mean if it was just to show jon that young commanders have come before him he could have been 13-14. But if it is to set a seed that young stark men/boys are leaders no matter their age it could work to help rickons arc.

Probably completely off but i like an underdog

[falcotron]

the mention of osric stark may have two meanings i mean if it was just to show jon that young commanders have come before him he could have been 13-14. But if it is to set a seed that young stark men/boys are leaders no matter their age it could work to help rickons arc.

Even if Osric's story is accurate and he wasn't just a figurehead for the people who really ran the Watch for the first few years, there's still a huge difference between a 10-year-old and a 5-year-old. Can you seriously imagine a 5-year-old actually leading an army? I don't think even GRRM is a good enough writer to pull that off believably.₁

₁ Terry Pratchett, maybe. In Discworld, if the story says he has to be the hero, then somehow it'll happen, despite him acting like a 5-year-old the whole time, and everyone around him realizing it makes no sense. But GRRM's world is not ruled by narrativium.

[Sarahlee]

I know unlikely but could happen strange things seem to in this series ☺ who knows i like an underdog and hope what ever happens we see him again the starks deserve to live on. Imo.

[Cladinator]

I'm definitely looking forward to finding out what Rickon has been up to.

I like to think that Osha has provided him with survival skills and that he is living like a god on Skagos with some burly Viking-like badasses.

I like to think that some day he will return and be a ruthless warrior, full of rage and completely bent on revenge while restoring his family name.