* Will Jon survive?
- No, but Melisandre will give him the kiss of life. Would be pretty funny if he then rallies the wildings to assault the night's watch, since the crows don't realize just who their true enemy is.
* Will Dany control the dragons?
- Not fully. Dragons are wild creatures, but they still lover their mommy. To be honest though I'm pretty sure that the dragons are innocent when it comes to burning and eating humans. It's most likely a trick by the harpy's sons to get Dany to lock them in. Remember the scene where Drogon swoops down during the gladiator fight? Drogon burns and eats the boar, when there were hundreds of people around, ripe for the picking. He only burned those who disturbed him.
* What is Varys trying to do?
- Take over Westeros. Varys is a self-righteous ****** who believes that he knows what's best for everyone else. The Targaryen prince he has in hiding is probably just some orphan he picked up from some Brothel in Lys (white hair and purple eyes, telltale Targaryen features, are common in Lys). Whit the "Targaryen" on the throne Varys has a perfect puppet to control, while he goes on to rule the kingdom. Does he want peace? Probably, but he's a complete douche. Kevan Lannister was probably the last person alive that could truly bring peace back to the kingdom, but Varys kills him anyway because it's not the peace Varys wants, aka his own.
* Who is going to kill Cercei?
- Jaime, plain and simple. Over the course of the books Jaime is finally realizing that the Cercei he loves hasn't existed since they were both little, if she ever did. The cercei that's real is cruel, manipulating and selfish, and Jaime is starting to see this.
* Where is Rickon going to turn up?
- Probably at Skagos, since it's the only place we know of where people practice cannibalism.
The book comes out when it's done, and not a moment before that. I just hope GRRM manages to finish the series, since a person that is unnaturally short, fat, and famous for drinking and smoking a lot does not equal a long life. As others have said, the most tragic death for the series would be George's own.