Rickon's Future

[Petyr Patter]

I can never get over how many of these threads begin with the assumption that Brandon will never return. If George Martin got him there, he can get him back South again depending on the needs of plot. Martin likes to keep his characters moving. Catelyn went from Winterfell to King's Landing to the Riverlands to the Eyrie back to the Riverlands to the South to Renly's camp and back to the Riverlands. Of course Brandon is going to return. I mean, duh! I'd say Bran has a far greater probability of becoming Lord of Winterfell compared to Jon. Bran only has distance seperating him, whereas Jon has an Oath and a cause to keep him from claiming the seat. Plus, Martin does not give characters "do-overs." They make their choices, sometimes under truly awful circumstances, but none the less have to bear the consequences of those choices. Jon refused Winterfell when it was offered. Jon is not going to get another offer. How, where, and to what effect is the question, but Bran will return.

Still, that doesn't make Rickon redundant. I have my own theory that he will actually end up as King Consort of the Seven Kingdoms, developed here: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/98515-queen-shireen-and-the-shaggydog/ .

[IRON BANK]

I can never get over how many of these threads begin with the assumption that Brandon will never return. If George Martin got him there, he can get him back South again depending on the needs of plot. Martin likes to keep his characters moving. Catelyn went from Winterfell to King's Landing to the Riverlands to the Eyrie back to the Riverlands to the South to Renly's camp and back to the Riverlands. Of course Brandon is going to return. I mean, duh! I'd say Bran has a far greater probability of becoming Lord of Winterfell compared to Jon. Bran only has distance seperating him, whereas Jon has an Oath and a cause to keep him from claiming the seat. Plus, Martin does not give characters "do-overs." They make their choices, sometimes under truly awful circumstances, but none the less have to bear the consequences of those choices. Jon refused Winterfell when it was offered. Jon is not going to get another offer. How, where, and to what effect is the question, but Bran will return.

Still, that doesn't make Rickon redundant. I have my own theory that he will actually end up as King Consort of the Seven Kingdoms, developed here: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/98515-queen-shireen-and-the-shaggydog/ .

I just can't at this point grasp Bran leaving the cave, after all bloodraven seems well rooted to his current position.

[Dead Wolf]

I think Rickon will become Lord of WF with Jon as his guardian to look after him, and I expect Rickon will come to think of him as a father figure the way Ned viewed Jon Arryn. Ned looked after Jon when he needed care, and Jon will return the favor and look after Ned's son when he needs care.

Jon will claim the title of KitN through Robb's will, but he will let WF pass to Rickon.

What about Davos as a father figure? He could move his family up north once the war's over and live at WF with his boys becoming Rickon's friends

[C0bR]

I just can't at this point grasp Bran leaving the cave, after all bloodraven seems well rooted to his current position.

Bloodraven is rooted there, because he is on the weirwood life support.

[complexphoenix]

Jon will not claim Winterfell unless he is persuaded that all his trueborn siblings are dead. He believes Sansa is alive though he doesn't know where she is, and Rickon will probably make it back to Winterfell eventually. So if there is a problem with the succession, it will be between Sansa and Rickon.

Rickon's survival, when revealed, is going to throw a wrench the size of your arm into Littlefinger's plans. Things could get ugly.

[complexphoenix]

I can never get over how many of these threads begin with the assumption that Brandon will never return. If George Martin got him there, he can get him back South again depending on the needs of plot. Martin likes to keep his characters moving. Catelyn went from Winterfell to King's Landing to the Riverlands to the Eyrie back to the Riverlands to the South to Renly's camp and back to the Riverlands. Of course Brandon is going to return. I mean, duh! I'd say Bran has a far greater probability of becoming Lord of Winterfell compared to Jon. Bran only has distance seperating him, whereas Jon has an Oath and a cause to keep him from claiming the seat. Plus, Martin does not give characters "do-overs." They make their choices, sometimes under truly awful circumstances, but none the less have to bear the consequences of those choices. Jon refused Winterfell when it was offered. Jon is not going to get another offer. How, where, and to what effect is the question, but Bran will return.

Still, that doesn't make Rickon redundant. I have my own theory that he will actually end up as King Consort of the Seven Kingdoms, developed here: http://asoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/topic/98515-queen-shireen-and-the-shaggydog/ .

Bran has no reason to ever leave the cave. Within it he is protected and nurtured and more powerful than he would ever be anywhere else. The Others and their wights can't get in there, he has the Weirnet and his warging powers to let him know what's going on elsewhere, and the fact that he cannot walk doesn't matter.

Also, please remember that Bran is incapable of reproducing since he can't feel anything below his waist. (Ned explicitly states that Bran will never lie with a woman or hold his son in his arms.) Even if he claimed Winterfell, he would have no children to pass it to, so it would have to go to a child of Sansa or Rickon in the end. Claiming Winterfell has no benefits for Bran and would cost him a lot. So he will stay where he is.

Of course, it's possible that someone falsely claiming to be Bran or a child of Bran will show up and try to claim Winterfell.

[silentwanderer]

King in the Lord and/or Lord of Winterfell.

Rickon is the once and future Ned Stark of his generation.

[Jon's Queen Consort]

I think Rickon will become Lord of WF with Jon as his guardian to look after him, and I expect Rickon will come to think of him as a father figure the way Ned viewed Jon Arryn. Ned looked after Jon when he needed care, and Jon will return the favor and look after Ned's son when he needs care.

Jon will claim the title of KitN through Robb's will, but he will let WF pass to Rickon.

Basically this. Jon will be the King and Rickon will be the lord of Winterfell.

[Hustle]

Rickon: “Full of fear and rage.” Rickon is named for Eddard’s father Rickard Stark. Currently, he is believed to be on Skaggos with Davos Seaworth in route to bring him back to Winerfell.

Expectation: Rickon will be the Stark in Winterfell, continue the family name and be the figurehead which allows the Northern lords to overthrow the Boltons. He may marry Shireen and declare the North for Stannis.

Counter: Rickon will side with the others. He blames everyone in Westeros for the deaths of his family and wants to see them punished. Skaggos is in some kind of connection/league with the others and will help bring down the wall for the wights to invade. He will be willing to sacrifice his life to gain his young idea of venegce and revenge, maybe a willing heading before a weirwood.

[Tim Stark]

I've always had this weird fantasy that Rickon (if he survives the series) wouldn't want anything to do with ruling. I want him to be like a lone adventurer, going around kicking ass. Basically I want him to be Conan The Barbarian with a Direwolf.

[Dead Wolf]

I've always had this weird fantasy that Rickon (if he survives the series) wouldn't want anything to do with ruling. I want him to be like a lone adventurer, going around kicking ass. Basically I want him to be Conan The Barbarian with a Direwolf.

So instead of Cregan Stark, you want him to be Rodrik Stark the Wandering Wolf

[Sweet-N-SourRobin]

Well that would work better with my idea that Ice will never be reforged because Rickon is going to dual-wield both reforged halves of it (shields are for wusses).

[The Great and Mighty Poo]

I've always had this weird fantasy that Rickon (if he survives the series) wouldn't want anything to do with ruling. I want him to be like a lone adventurer, going around kicking ass. Basically I want him to be Conan The Barbarian with a Direwolf.

Haha love it.

[Fire Eater]

What about Davos as a father figure? He could move his family up north once the war's over and live at WF with his boys becoming Rickon's friends

I don't think Davos's family will survive the series. I think he will be in KL or WF serving as Hand of the King to Jon.

[Archibald Big Man]

I hope he will become KITN. He will probably have little regard for honor or mercy, which could benefit the Starks, at least for a generation or two.

[Rickeen Baratheon]

Rickon is the Boba Fett of ASOIF. The Daryl Dixon ( Season 1 walking dead, least screen time but badass. ) He is going to rock anything he does, even if he's not in it. I ship Shireen and Rickon. Not only will he take the North for the Starks, but, he will reunite Nymeria with Arya and bring the pack back together.

[Dryhtscipe]

I'm not sure why people think there's a question over inheritance in the legal sense, really, because there isn't.

Obviously, in real terms in the North, there may be supporters of Rickon as a claimant, but Robb didn't merely name Jon as an heir - he legitimized him.

Jon was born before Bran and Rickon. Once legitimized, this clearly puts him at the head of the Stark line of succession. However, it's well worth noting that there is no guarantee that, should the North be folded back into the Seven Kingdoms, the Iron Throne will actually recognise that legitimization (in which case Jon isn't in the line of succession at all).

The real question, I think, is how this dovetails with the NW, and whether a NW member actually has any legal right to inherit at all - which since they cannot produce an heir and lack various other rights inherent across Westeros, I rather suspect they don't.

But whether the law actually matters at all here or not is another question entirely. In this kind of setting, the law isn't so much a set of rules so much as a set of explanations for actions that nobles take. If a noble can capably explain it, anyone could seize any title.

Varys understands this, which is why Aegon's return has a carefully constructed narrative ("the true king has returned, and will bring peace to a shattered land in its time of great strife" - Aragorn, anyone?) - the truth and the law do not matter in a low-tech setting, only what people believe. Actually that's also true in a high-tech setting, but works differently because of reduced communication barriers... but that's a whole other topic. :D

[Rickeen Baratheon]

Maybe Rickon will kill Jon, Shaggydog vs Ghost. The white wolf vs the black wolf. The funny thing I find, is, Ghost and Shaggydog are the only direwolves that are completely different from the other 3.

[Archibald Big Man]

In terms of a marriage, I hope its a Northern house he marries into, ie a Mormont or a Manderly.

[jon stark I]

Rickon will have the same beliefs as Osha so wedding Rickon to Shireen might not be possible.At this point Osha will be like his mother.I think Rickon and Arya are what North and Starks needs.Unforgiving brutal and a little bloodthirsty.North loves the Starks even those mountain clans (they were complaining about WF taking hostages but most of their people went to recover Neds girl) they respect them.As I understand ancient Stark kings and lords were like Arya.Because the position they are in allows no weaknesses.North is in the line of fire always.In history they always had to fight against wildlings or Ironborn.The constant battle between North and Wildlings and the threat of the Others.When you look to North they are the last line of defense.If wildlings get past the North then they reach Moat and then They can constantly raid South.