Warning: Spoilers ahead for "Game of Thrones" season six, including speculation of future events.
Most fans of "Game of Thrones" recognize the Stark family as the central protagonists, a clan of good guys and gals who everyone tends to root for. But after Ned's shocking execution, Robb and Catelyn's brutal murder, Arya's new assassin identity, Sansa's torment at the hands of Ramsay, and Bran's magical powers, people might have forgotten about the youngest Stark — Rickon.
Given that Rickon has been totally absent from the show since season three, forgetting about this young character is forgivable. But some people believe he's about to make a dramatic re-entrance to the series.
We last saw Rickon when he was traveling with older brother Bran, the wildling Osha, plus Hodor, Meera, and Jojen. When Bran decided he had to go north of the Wall, and realized it would be too dangerous for Rickon, the two parted ways.
"You and Osha and Shaggydog head for the Last Hearth," Bran told Rickon. "The Umbers are our bannermen — they'll protect you."
Osha assured Bran she would be able to find the the castle where the Umbers live, and then her and Rickon left that same night.
Since then, Rickon has only been briefly mentioned in passing, like when Sansa forced Theon to tell her the truth about her two brothers (that they were alive and unharmed by him).
So, where is he?
This is where the speculation starts to come in, but it's quite compelling. In the preview for next Sunday's episode, "Oathbreaker," fans spotted an important house banner — The Umbers.
Right after we see men riding horses and carrying the Umber banner, the preview cuts to a man speaking with Ramsay Bolton.
"Why have you come to Winterfell?" Ramsay asks the unnamed man.
"I've got a gift for you," he replies. Ramsay then smiles — and nothing that makes Ramsay happy can be a good thing.
Rickon was last seen heading for the Last Hearth and the Umbers. Now Umber banners turn up in a preview riding to Winterfell. Umber men are giving Ramsay a gift. Ramsay is pleased. This can't be good.
We're pretty sure Rickon is the gift.
The line of succession to Winterfell went:
Ned → Robb → Bran → Rickon → Sansa → Arya
Ramsay and Roose only allied with Littlefinger to acquire Sansa when they believed she was the true heir to the north. Remember, Theon told everyone (except Sansa) that he had killed Bran and Rickon. With Robb dead as well, that left Sansa as the heir to Winterfell. Hence Ramsay's fury at her escape — he needs a Stark to secure his hold on the North.
We believe Rickon and Osha made it to the Umbers, and have been hidden there for the last two seasons. But now, it appears that the Umbers are no longer loyal to the Starks. They might be turning Rickon over to their new liege lord, Ramsay Bolton.
Adding fuel to the fire, actors Art Parkinson and Natalia Tena — who play Rickon and Osha, respectively — were sighted in Belfast, Northern Ireland, a known filming location for "Game of Thrones" scenes that take place in northern Westeros.
So, in typical "Game of Thrones" fashion, as soon as one Stark is safe another gets thrown to the wolves. Sansa is with Brienne and Podrick now, and headed to Castle Black to reunite with a freshly-resurrected Jon Snow. But clearly the Starks can't have their good fortune for too long.
In the book series, Rickon hasn't been heard from since he parted ways with Bran. But book readers don't think he's with the Umbers — we've been led to believe he might be on an island called Skagos. So the showrunners have creative freedom when it comes to deciding how to wrap up Rickon's storyline.
If Rickon truly is being placed in the dangerous hands of Ramsay, we can only hope Sansa and Jon work together to retake Winterfell and get rid of Ramsay for good.
"Oathbreaker" airs on HBO Sunday May 8, at 9 p.m. EST. Tune in to see if this horrible plot really comes true. We're going to keep our fingers crossed that Rickon's direwolf Shaggydog is still alive and can take out some Boltons.
