A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes viewers back around 90 years from the start of Game of Thrones, focusing on a different side of Westeros life. Rather than putting the onus on the political machinations and power battles of the Great Houses, the stakes of this show are lower and more grounded. Based on George R.R. Martin’s The Tales of Dunk and Egg books, which are far shorter and lighter than his epic A Song of Ice and Fire tomes, the series is, at its heart, all about those two characters.
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Ser Duncan the Tall, aka Dunk, is a hedge knight – which means a wandering knight who is not kept in the service of a particular lord – who meets a young boy named Egg, and eventually agrees to take him as his squire. That, at least, is the beginning of their story, but in Martin’s richly detailed world, there is, of course, so much more to them than even A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 can cover.
Dunk’s Backstory & Relationship With Egg In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
Dunk’s backstory begins in the slums of Flea Bottom in King’s Landing, where he was an orphan boy and street urchin, growing up in poverty and having to learn very quickly how to survive. After causing trouble with his friends during his earliest years, he was taken as a squire by another hedge knight, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, around the age of six, spending approximately a decade in his service as they travelled across Westeros, including working for the Tyrells, Dondarrions, and venturing to places like Lannisport.
Arlan taught Dunk how to fight with a sword and how to joust, with him becoming particularly skilled at the former. Meanwhile, his natural size (he’s around 6’11” in the books, with actor Peter Claffey standing at 6’5″), strength, and quickness were an added benefit in helping him become a fierce combatant, as was his experience of having to fight dirty in Flea Bottom, something more noble knights are not accustomed to. Dunk claims Ser Arlan knighted him just before he died, which is where his story begins in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1.
As for Egg, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms doesn’t initially reveal much about his backstory. Dunk finds him working at an inn, and assumes he’s the son of the innkeeper, before later coming to believe he is actually an orphan like him. Despite being young and small, Egg is confident, quick-witted, and more knowledgeable than you’d expect an orphan boy to be, meaning he has almost as much to teach Dunk as Dunk can teach him. Although they can occasionally annoy one another, they develop a sweet bond in which they clearly care and look out for each other.
How Old Are Dunk & Egg In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?
The Hedge Knight, the first Dunk and Egg book, takes place in 209 AC. At that time, Dunk is described as being 16-years-old, despite already being so tall. Claffey is 29, and so it seems as though the character has been aged up several years for the TV show into his 20s. This isn’t uncommon for the Game of Thrones franchise, with the likes of Jon Snow, Robb Stark, and Daenerys Targaryen all a few years older in the TV series than in the novels.
Egg’s age, in contrast, is being kept roughly the same as in the source material. We first meet him when he’s nine-years-old, and that’s the age Dexter Sol Ansell was when he was cast in the series (at the time of writing, he’s now 11). That puts him in line with some of Game of Thrones‘ other youngest protagonists, such as Arya and Bran Stark.
How Many Books Dunk & Egg Appear In (& How Many More Are Planned)
As it stands, there are currently three Dunk & Egg novellas that Martin has written:
- The Hedge Knight (1998): This is the story that’s been adapted into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1. Set in 209 AC, it finds Dunk directly after losing his mentor, Arlan, who knighted him before he died. Dunk decides to go to the Tourney at Ashford to prove himself, where he meets a young boy named Egg and takes him as his squire.
- The Sworn Sword (2003): This picks things up with Dunk and Egg around 18 months after the events of The Hedge Knight. They have continued on their adventures across Westeros, ending up in the service of Ser Eustace Osgrey in the Reach, at a time of severe drought and sickness in the Seven Kingdoms. This leads to them having to deal with Osgrey’s local rival in a bitter feud.
- The Mystery Knight (2010): Set in 212 AC, this finds Dunk and Egg in the Riverlands, planning to head North to serve the Starks. En route, however, they’re invited to a wedding, which includes a tourney where the prize being offered is a dragon’s egg, so, naturally, Dunk ends up entering, and a lot more intrigue follows. This particular story includes some familiar names, including a four-year-old Walder Frey, and Brynden Rivers, aka Bloodraven, who later becomes the Three-Eyed Raven.
No more stories have been written since then, but Martin has plans for as many as 12 Dunk and Egg books. One of those, at least, will be set at Winterfell, but the idea is to continue charting their lives and adventures across Westeros. Whether they’re published or not, showrunner Ira Parker is keen on continuing beyond the first three books if the show is a success, hoping to work with Martin to break down the stories.
What Happens To Dunk & Egg After A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms (Major Spoilers Ahead!)
There may not be more books, but we do know more about what becomes of Dunk and Egg, and that’s because of the great secret the show is hiding in its early episodes (again, spoiler warning for the series and what ultimately becomes of the two characters!).
The reason that little is initially made of Egg’s backstory is because of who he really is. His real name – you might’ve heard this one before – is Aegon Targaryen and, yes, he eventually becomes Westeros’ King, over 20 years after the events of The Hedge Knight book and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1.
King Aegon V is dubbed “the Unlikely,” due to the remarkable fact that he became king at all. He was the fourth son of a fourth son, but due to so many deaths – first his uncles that led to his father, Maekar, becoming king, but also of his two eldest brothers – he ended up being named king at a Great Council. His sole surviving brother refused consideration on account of being a Maester. His name? Aemon (the very same one from Game of Thrones).
By King Aegon’s side was Ser Duncan the Tall, who became a member of his Kingsguard and eventually rose to become Lord Commander. While Egg tried to be a good king, his reign was marred by several uprisings and rebellions, as well as issues stemming from his trying to end the Targaryen practice of incestuous marriage. But what might be most notable of all is where it all ends for them, in an event known as the Tragedy of Summerhall.
This was a great blaze that killed Egg, Dunk, and many more at the family’s summer residence, but exactly what happened is unknown. We do know, however, that pyromancers and dragon eggs were involved, with it suspected that Aegon was trying to bring dragons back to the world, but it remains one of the biggest mysteries in the Game of Thrones universe. It was also here, it should be noted, that a certain Rhaegar Targaryen was born.
Are Dunk & Egg Referenced In Game Of Thrones?
Dunk and Egg died in 259 AC, almost 40 years before the events of Game of Thrones, but they are still remembered. In fact, a show change makes things even more interesting. In the books, Aegon is succeeded by his son, Jaehaerys II, and then his own son, Aerys II, takes the Iron Throne after him. Thrones cut Jaehaerys II from its family tree, meaning that in the world of the show, Aegon is actually the father of the Mad King.
Both characters are also directly referenced in the show: Maester Aemon tells Jon Snow about his brother, and remembers and calls out to Egg as he dies in one of the series’ most poignant deaths. Dunk is mentioned twice: first by Old Nan, who reveals that stories about him are among Bran Stark’s favorites, and later by Jaime Lannister, who mentions there are four pages about him in the Kingsguard’s White Book, and that he “must’ve been quite the man.” On that, as A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will show, he was absolutely right.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms releases Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.
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