Will Rickon Stark Survive Ramsay Bolton On 'Game Of Thrones?' If He's Very Lucky

On Sunday's episode of Game of Thrones we finally caught up with Rickon Stark, a character many seem to have forgotten for a moment even existed, and unfortunately, things do not seem to be going his way. We find him at, of all places, Winterfell, where he is now the captive of Ramsay Bolton, possibly the worst possible person to be held captive by. And in the world of Game of Thrones, that is certainly saying something. We all know by now how Ramsay is accustomed to treating his captives, so the question now becomes, will Rickon survive Ramsay Bolton?

In a show like this it's impossible to tell for sure, and the Game of Thrones show-runners love nothing as much as a shock, so there's definitely a good possibility that Rickon does not make it out of here alive. On the other hand, Rickon possibly has some people on his side who are willing to rescue him. Personally, I am inclined to believe that Rickon makes it, and here's why.

Ramsay has no problem with murdering people in his way. Obviously. He literally fed his step-mother and newborn brother to the dogs, because the baby would have threatened his claim as his father's heir. Rickon Stark, as the son of Ned Stark, the last Warden of the North, is an even bigger threat to Ramsay's position as Lord of Winterfell. It would make sense for Ramsay to kill Rickon posthaste. But if Rickon is going to make it to next week's episode, and it looks like he will, there has got to be something else at stake which is keeping Ramsay from chopping off his sweet curly head on the spot.

One theory making the rounds on the Internet is that the House of Umber, famously loyal to the Starks, is planning to betray Ramsay at the first opportunity, and that kidnapping Rickon was part of some elaborate plot. In fact, Shaggydog might not be dead at all! Perhaps this theory is all just wishful thinking, but it's definitely possible.

Another way that Rickon might make it out alive is by being rescued by his newly undead zombie-hottie brother Jon. After being resurrected by Melisandre, Jon Snow first served up justice for his murder (R.I.P. Olly), then declared his watch over. We can't say for sure where he's going now, but it's widely theorized that he's headed for Winterfell. This is his only other home and knowing that it's under — shall we say — bad management, it's logical that this would be his first stop. This would of course be very convenient for Rickon, who needs a rescue, and for Ramsay, who's dying to kill Jon Snow.

If no one is planning on rescuing Rickon, we'll just have to hope that he's grown more feral and terrifying in his own right than we imagined. Otherwise, who knows what Ramsay has in store.