This Sunday we will see the long awaited showdown between the member-chopping, patricidal maniac, Ramsey Snow v. the dour-faced, back from the dead, Prince that was Promised himself, Jon Snow. Betting has already begun with 25-1 odds in favor of Team Stark. They don’t have the numbers but will be wearing some pretty heavy plot armor coming into the battle.
Here are some predictions for the upcoming battle.
1. Littlefinger will save the day.
Unfortunately, the most likely last minute savior of the outnumbered Stark army will be Petyr Baelish.
Earlier in the season Sansa penned a letter behind Jon’s back to an unknown recipient. And let’s get real, Sansa doesn’t have any friends beside Littlefinger, so there’s only one culprit.
If you need any more convincing, Reddit user CreepPancakes traced over the letter and was able to more or less accurately decipher it.
So we can expect a sizable Knights of the Vale regiment to swoop in at some point in the battle and prevent a blow out.
2. Rickon will die.
Rickon’s odds are not looking great right now. His fate is in the hands of a homicidal maniac who isn’t always the best at keeping his end of the bargain.
Jon will probably try to work something out, before getting betrayed at the last second to see one of his only remaining brothers die in front of him. The showrunners just believe we need one more reason to hate Ramsey before we can really feel satisfied with his gruesome death.
3. A Northern house will betray Ramsey.
Ramsey has a few northern houses on his side, but it is unlikely that all of them are completely faithful to the Boltons. The two main houses we see join the Boltons are Umber and Karstark. The Umbers were the ones who gave Rickon to Ramsey as a hostage, so they’re unlikely. The Karstarks patriarch was executed by Robb Stark so they may not be too keen on the idea either.
Ramsey may call on other houses to help him fight Jon, the Manderlys, Glovers or Cerwins that may use the alliance as a ruse to get back at House Bolton. In the books, the Manderlys, the richest house in the north, pretend to be allied to the Boltons while plotting a betrayal. If they make an appearance in the Bastard Bowl, expect a change of sides.
4. Jon will be crowned King of the North.
If Jon wins the battle, which is almost a certainty, he will be the undisputed King of the North. Of course there’s the bastard problem that will have to be worked out, but the northern houses will surely look to Jon as their leader. Sansa could of course legitimize Jon, the same way Ramsey was legitimized by his father or he could just earn the Stark name by merit without all the paperwork. Think a scene like Robb’s where everybody just starts spontaneously yelling it from the rafters.