Brandon and Rickon Stark - When most young children catch two adults “making the beast with two backs”, they are mentally scarred for life. Unfortunately for Brandon Stark, at the end of the very first episode, he was left a paraplegic with no memory of what caused the “accident”. On the plus side, after his accident, Bran begins to dream of the Three Eyed Raven.

While out riding one day, he is set upon by three wildlings. Robb and Theon Greyjoy kill all but the girl, Osha, who is taken to Winterfell as servant to Bran.

Over the next few seasons, Bran and Rickon are left at Winterfell with Bran the master de jure while brother Robb goes off a conquering. In the midst of the the war, Theon is sent by Robb to ask his father, Balon Greyjoy, the Lord Reaper of Pyke, for aid in the war. When Theon’s father castigates him, he decides to capture Winterfell go regain his fathers trust. He then proceeds to treat his former “family” badly, to say the least. Bran and Rickon, with the aid of Osha and Hodor, a simpleminded, but large and strong, stable servant, decide to escape to Castle Black to seek aid from Jon Snow. Theon attempts to recapture them to no avail. In order to subdue the Stark folk, kills and burns two farm boys and takes them back to Winterfell and presents their bodies as those of Bran and Rickon.

As they travel north, they encounter Jojen and Meera Reed, children of Lord Howland Reed, himself a close friend to Ned Stark. Jojeen and Bran have shared dreams about the Three Eyed Raven and decide that they must go north of the Wall to find the Raven. Rather than take Rickon north of the Wall, Bran tells Osha to take him to Greatjon Umber, a loyal bannerman. (This proves to be a fatal decision for Rickon.)

After many diversions, Bran, along with Hodor, Jojen and Meera, finally reach the giant weirwood tree that proves to be their destination. Here they are met by the few remaining Children of the Forest who usher them into the presence of the Raven. Here Bran learns that the Raven, actually a man integrated with the roots of the weirwood tree, must train him to take the Ravens place. This training takes the shape of visions that reveal the past in order for Bran to understand the future. In one vision, he sees the Children of the Forest create the White Walkers in order to protect themselves and the weirtrees from destruction by the First Men.

And finally, Bran confonts the Night King in a vision and unknowingly reveals their location beneath the weirtree. This results in the attack by the White Walkers and their army of wights (zombie-like living dead) in which the few remaining Children, the Raven, Bran’s dire wolf, Summer, and Hodor are all killed. Bran escapes out the back door pulled by Meera on a travios. When Meera’s strength falters and they face their doom at the hands of the wights, suddenly a horse and rider appear to snatch them for death’s maw. Their savior is revealed to be Benjen Stark, Bran’s uncle to disappeared way back in season one. He takes them to a weirwood within sight of the Wall where he reveals that neither he nor the dead can pass the Wall and so must leave them. Bran then crawls to the weirwood and placing his hand on it, has one more vision. In it, it is revealed that Jon Snow is not the bastard son of Ned Stark, but the son of his sister, Lyanna. (Afterward it is assumed by everyone that Jon’s father is, in fact, Rhaegar Targaryen, with whom Lyanna ran off and precipitated Robert’s War. This would explain Ned’s reluctance to reveal Jon’s true father since it would result in his death by Robert who had sworn to kill every Targaryen.)

Elsewhere, we next see Rickon as the Greatjon’s son, Smalljon, brings him before Ramsay Bolton, along with Osha and the head of Rickon’s dire wolf, Shaggydog. Rickon is the price for Ramsay’s help to fight the Wildlings that Jon Snow has allowed to pass into the North.

On the eve of the Battle of the Bastards, Ramsay reveals to Jon and Sansa that he has Rickon. He will release Rickon if Jon bends a knee and vows loyalty to him and Sansa returns to his bed. Later as Jon and Sansa discuss this, Sansa informs Jon that Rickon will die regardless of their decision.

As the opposing armies take the field, Ramsay ushers Rickon to the front, unties him and urges him to run to Jon. As Rickon races across the intervening field, Ramsay slowly shoots at Rickon’s dwindling target. When Jon sees this, he immediately takes to horse in the attempt to save his half brother. Just as Jon closes with Rickon and leaps from his horse, an arrow pierces Rickon from front to back, through the heart.