An Heir's Black Death

An Heir's Black Death was the unfortunate events that saw the young heir to Winterfell and the North, Rickon Stark, meet his end on a visit to Castle Black. While no blame was ever able to laid, much suspicion fell with House Ryswell.

An Heir's Black Death
160 AC would prove to be anything but a fortuitous year for the Starks of Winterfell. For the first time since the Dance, the North would know proper loss. The young heir to Winterfell, a much beloved Rickon Stark, a man of good virtue and strong arm, of kind heart and a jolly disposition, rather in contrast to the way the Starks were oft viewed in the south, found his end.

His end had come unexpectedly, in a manner that shocked all the North. Having travelled to Castle Black to feast with the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Ser Baldrick Wagstaff, a man taken to the Black for theft of his brother’s wife, Rickon Stark had been widely expected to see Castle Black, climb the Wall, re-affirm the importance of the ancient, honourable, and proud brotherhood of the Night’s Watch, and win over further favour with the Houses of the North.

Yet, such was not to be. Long had discontent been brewing between the Starks and the Ryswells. Be it rulings on disputed rivers or hunting grounds, be it the manner in which the Ryswells ruled and doled out fierce punishments, discontent had brewed. And when Rickon Stark took a Manderly girl to wife, the Ryswells were noticeably absent from the great wedding within Winterfell’s halls.

And so, when Rickon Stark headed north to the Wall, to Castle Black, in 160 AC, and was discovered one morn with a cut throat and absent his manhood, blame was fast thrown about. The Wall was not a place of honourable and true men, no matter how much one tried to paint it so, nor even was their own Lord Commander an honourable man, and the First Ranger, at that time present within Castle Black, had only taken the Black after being sentenced to the knife or the Wall, most chose the knife, he, had not.

Yet, it was not only to the Brothers of the Night’s Watch suspicion fell. Rickon Stark had travelled north with a large party of second sons and their ilk, and so it was that suspicion fell upon the cousin of Lord Ryswell, a young Helman Ryswell. Yet, despite this, none had proof, none even had more than suspicion, for Helman had been so too drinking his fill the night before, and so Rickon’s body was returned to Winterfell, and his murder went a mystery.

Though, some years later, Helman himself would find his way to the lordship of the Rills.