Breaking Down the Emotional Ending of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1

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“Visor’s cracked. My fingers feel like word.”

As Prince Baelor Targaryen’s recent lines in the fifth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showed, characters who appear too virtuous or perfect usually don’t survive for long in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire world.

As a long-time fan of George R.R. Martin’s work, one moment has always stuck with me: the death of Baelor Breakspear. It’s not just a shocking scene, but a real turning point. Martin himself has said it’s one of his favorites, and it’s easy to see why. Baelor, the heir to the Iron Throne, dies defending the honor of a relatively unimportant knight during the Trial of Seven. It makes you think – what if he’d lived? Martin points out that Baelor could have been a truly strong king, and his death drastically altered the course of Westeros’ history. It’s a ‘what if’ that really stays with you as a reader.

For those familiar with the history of Westeros, Maekar Targaryen becoming king after his brother Baelor eventually led to Aerys II, known as the Mad King, taking the throne about 40 years later. This is what sets the stage for the events of Game of Thrones, including Robert’s Rebellion and the exile of Daenerys Targaryen, ultimately bringing dragons back into the world. You likely already know how the story goes, Thrones fans.

Let’s rewind a bit to see what happened right after Baelor’s death in the first season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. While Dunk is found not guilty thanks to winning his trial against Aerion, Maekar’s son, he’s still deeply troubled. He was seriously injured in the trial, and he’s devastated that Baelor sacrificed himself to save Dunk from a harsh punishment. Dunk wonders to Maekar, “If I hadn’t fought, they would have taken my hand and foot. I was sitting under the tree this morning, wondering if I could have saved Baelor, even if it meant losing a limb. How can a foot be worth a prince’s life?”

With the Ashford Meadow tournament finished, Dunk is left to figure out his next move. He receives two offers: his new friend Lyonel Baratheon invites him to live at Storm’s End, and Maekar suggests Dunk continue training Egg as a squire at Summerhall, hoping Dunk’s influence will help Egg grow into a better man than his older brothers. However, feeling he only brings misfortune to others, Dunk initially refuses both. He later changes his mind and proposes a different arrangement to Maekar: Dunk will keep Egg as his squire, but they’ll travel together as a wandering knight, rather than Egg living a life of luxury as a prince. Maekar rejects this idea, prompting Dunk to sharply criticize the royal upbringing that led Daeron to become a cowardly drunk and Aerion to become arrogant and cruel.

Just as Dunk is about to leave on his journey, Egg appears, saying his father has given him permission to join. However, the episode ends with a surprise: Egg actually left with Dunk without ever getting that permission. It’s unclear how this change will affect the adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s The Sworn Sword – the next story in the Tales of Dunk and Egg series – and we’ll likely find out in the second season of the show.

Fortunately, Parker intends to adapt the entire story of Dunk and Egg, following the detailed path George R.R. Martin has created for them throughout their lives. This includes the three already published novellas, as well as outlines for twelve more stories that haven’t been released yet.

Parker explained to the Hollywood Reporter that while not every detail of Dunk and Egg’s adventures is fully fleshed out, the main events of their lives are established. This means they’re less likely to face the same storytelling problems as Game of Thrones did. These stories cover their entire lives, and even brief mentions of future events and characters help guide the overall narrative.

Parker acknowledged that HBO is currently planning only three seasons of the show, but he expressed his own enthusiasm to continue the story of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms all the way to—spoiler warning—Egg becoming King Aegon V Targaryen, nicknamed “The Unlikely,” and even further. He stated he’d happily work on twelve seasons total, suggesting four seasons now, another four ten years from now, and a final four ten years after that, covering the characters’ entire lives.

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2026-02-23 07:06