Game of Thrones Season 6 is shaping up to be the season of returns. There’s the return of Bran and Hodor from their Season 5 sabbatical, during which one can only assume Bran was learning some wicked-cool greenseer tricks and Hodor was…well…Hodoring. Then there’s the return of the Ironborn, or as I like to call them, the Jerks from Asshole Island. Also, Jon will obviously return because…duh, and let’s not forget the not-at-all-confirmed-but-never-forgotten Lady Stoneheart.
While Jon’s comeback is still shrouded in mystery, there is one Stark family return that seems like more of a sure thing. Art Parkinson, the actor who portrays Rickon Stark, the youngest Stark child, has been seen in Belfast with his guardian, the wildling spearwife Osha (Natalia Tena). This sighting is our cue that the actors are going to be filming scenes for the upcoming season of Game of Thrones…which isn’t hard to believe. Knowing this, let’s speculate on how Rickon, Shaggydog, and Osha will re-enter the story after being gone for so long.
The last time we saw wee Rickon and his direwolf, along with Osha, they were ordered by the prince of Winterfell—Bran—to go to the Last Hearth, the seat of House Umber, where Bran was sure they would be safe. Bran needed to travel north of the Wall and he knew that it would not be safe for his younger brother, plus he knew that Osha did not want to return north of the Wall, a place she had recently fled.
You may remember that episode…it was the one with the infamous Red Wedding, “The Rains of Castamere.” So what has Rickon been doing at Last Hearth since the events of the Red Wedding, and why have we not heard from him? I believe the answer lies with Greatjon Umber, with the possible help of his son, the Smalljon. Since we know Rickon was sent to House Umber, and we know that that Greatjon was a die-hard Stark loyalist—he was the first person to declare Robb King in the North back in Season 1—I believe the Greatjon has been training Rickon in the ways of war, so that he can march on Winterfell and retake it and the North from the Boltons when the time arrives.
Allow me to expound: the North has always been a wild and unruly place. While Torrhen Stark (aka the King who Knelt) wisely bent his knee to Aegon the Conqueror and his dragon, the Northern people have always had an independent streak—they keep the religion of the Old Gods, worshiping weirwood trees in their godswoods, and adhere to old traditions like guest right and the idea that he who passes the sentence swings the sword. These are the ways of the North, and the tenets a Stark ruler must follow in order to gain the loyalty of the great northern houses. I believe the Greatjon has been training Rickon in these ways.
Rickon is a Stark through and through. All one need to do is look at his description, to see just how much “wolf’s blood” courses through his veins. He is described as naturally aggressive and angry, and his direwolf Shaggydog reflects this. He lets his hair grow long, not allowing anyone to cut it, and hides in the darkness of Winterfell’s crypts. In the beginning of A Game of Thrones, his feelings of abandonment cause both him and Shaggydog to lash out, which results in several inhabitants of Winterfell receiving nasty bites from the direwolf. I think he’ll use his natural aggression to mount an attack on the Boltons.
There was a major clue supporting this theory in a recent filming leak:
"Kit Harington has been spotted around Saintfield, a village in Northern Ireland. A couple days ago, we reported that the production was laying down fake snow in a field near the village, and that it was crawling with horses and extras. According to the sources at Watchers, the production is shooting a big battle scene in the area, a battle that will include Umbers, Boltons, wildlings, and more. Purportedly, the battle will feature in Episode 9 of Season 5, long reserved for Big Important Things."
Let’s see. Umbers: check. Boltons: check. Jon Motherf@@king Snow: check. To me, this indicates that the North has had enough, and that the Umbers are leading the charge with their Lord Stark (Rickon, who will obviously be riding Shaggydog) against the Boltons on one side, with a resurrected Jon Snow leading Tormund Giantsbane (riding his giant member—HAR!) against the Boltons from the other side, making what I like to call a Ramsay and Roose Sammich.
In all seriousness, I have long thought that Rickon will be the Stark to survive all of this, and become the Stark in Winterfell. I firmly believe Jon will become Rickon’s advisor, and that Sansa will come home to help Winterfell and House Stark rise to power and prestige once again. Does this sound all too tidy and neat for George R.R. Martin? Probably, but look at what House Stark has already been through, and consider how much material is left…there is still so much that can happen between now and the end of A Dream of Spring/ Season 8.
Next: The Small Council: What was the best set/location of Game of Throne Season 5?