Dunk & Egg Explained: Books, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms & Game of Thrones Future

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A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a prequel to Game of Thrones, set about 90 years earlier. However, it shifts the focus away from the power struggles of noble families and instead tells a more personal story. Adapted from George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg – shorter and less complex than his A Song of Ice and Fire series – the show primarily centers on the relationship between its two main characters.

Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk, is a knight who travels around without serving a specific lord. He meets a young boy named Egg and eventually takes him on as a squire. That’s how their story begins, but in George R.R. Martin’s complex and detailed world, there’s much more to discover than even the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms can show.

Dunk’s Backstory & Relationship With Egg In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms

Dunk grew up as an orphan in the poor, rundown district of Flea Bottom in King’s Landing. He learned to survive on the streets from a young age. Around age six, he started training as a squire for a knight named Ser Arlan of Pennytree. For about ten years, they traveled across Westeros together, sometimes working for powerful families like the Tyrells and Dondarrions, and even visiting cities like Lannisport.

Arlan trained Dunk in swordsmanship and jousting, and Dunk proved to be a natural with a sword. His impressive height—around 6’11” in the books, and 6’5” for the actor playing him—along with his strength and agility, made him a formidable fighter. Having learned to fight ruthlessly while surviving in the rough streets of Flea Bottom gave him an edge that most knights didn’t have. Dunk says Ser Arlan made him a knight right before his death, and that’s where his story begins in Season 1 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Egg, a young character in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, keeps his past a secret at first. Dunk meets him working at an inn and initially thinks he’s the owner’s son, but later realizes Egg is also an orphan. Despite his age and size, Egg is surprisingly self-assured, clever, and well-informed, often teaching Dunk as much as Dunk teaches him. While they sometimes get on each other’s nerves, they form a close and caring relationship, always looking out for one another.

How Old Are Dunk & Egg In A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms?

As a big fan of George R.R. Martin, I’m really excited about the Dunk and Egg series getting adapted! It’s set about 90 years before Game of Thrones, specifically in 209 AC, and the first book, The Hedge Knight, introduces us to Dunk, who’s only 16 but already a towering figure. Now, I’ve noticed the TV show seems to be aging up some of the characters. Claffey, for example, is 29 in the book, but looks to be in his 20s in the adaptation. Honestly, it’s something the Game of Thrones showrunners did a lot – remember how Jon Snow, Robb Stark, and Daenerys were all a bit older on screen than they were in the novels? It’s pretty standard practice for TV adaptations, I guess.

Egg’s age remains largely consistent with the original story. The actor, Dexter Sol Ansell, was nine years old when he started playing the role, and is now eleven. This age aligns with other young characters in Game of Thrones, like 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.

Martin hasn’t written any new Dunk and Egg stories recently, but he envisions a total of twelve books in the series. He intends to follow Dunk and Egg’s journeys throughout Westeros, with one story potentially taking place at Winterfell. If the upcoming TV show does well, showrunner Ira Parker is eager to continue adapting the books beyond the initial three, and hopes to collaborate with Martin to develop the storylines.

What Happens To Dunk & Egg After A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms (Major Spoilers Ahead!)

We might not get any more books in the series, but we’re learning more about Dunk and Egg’s fate thanks to a key secret revealed early on in the show. (Be warned: this contains spoilers about what happens to the characters!)

Egg’s past isn’t immediately revealed because of his true identity: he’s actually Aegon Targaryen. Eventually, over twenty years after the stories in The Hedge Knight and the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he rises to become the King of Westeros.

King Aegon V earned the nickname “the Unlikely” because his rise to the throne was so unexpected. He wasn’t originally in line to be king – he was the fourth son of a fourth son. However, a series of deaths – first among his uncles, then his older brothers – led to a Great Council naming him as the new ruler. His only remaining brother, Aemon, declined the nomination, as he had become a Maester (the same Aemon featured in Game of Thrones).

As a huge fantasy buff, I’ve always been fascinated by the story of King Aegon V and his protector, Ser Duncan the Tall. Duncan eventually became the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, which is pretty amazing! Egg, as he was known, really tried to be a good ruler, but his time on the throne wasn’t easy. He faced a lot of rebellions and struggled with changing the Targaryen family’s traditions, specifically trying to stop them from marrying close relatives. But honestly, the most heartbreaking part of their story is how it all ends – with the devastating event everyone calls the Tragedy of Summerhall. It’s a really powerful and tragic tale.

As a huge Game of Thrones fan, the tragedy at Summerhall always fascinated me. It was a devastating fire that took the lives of Prince Aegon – and many others, including Dunk and Egg – but the exact cause remains a mystery. What we do know is that fire magic and dragon eggs were somehow involved, and many believe Aegon Targaryen was attempting to hatch dragons and bring them back to Westeros. It’s one of the biggest unanswered questions in the whole series. Interestingly, Summerhall is also where Rhaegar Targaryen was born, adding another layer to this already compelling and tragic event.

Are Dunk & Egg Referenced In Game Of Thrones?

As a long-time fan of the Game of Thrones universe, I always loved the stories of Dunk and Egg, even though they lived nearly 40 years before the main events we all know. It’s fascinating to see how those earlier tales still resonate. And the show actually made things even more intriguing! In the books, Aegon Targaryen had a clear line of succession – his son Jaehaerys II, who was then followed by Aerys II. But the showrunners decided to cut Jaehaerys II from the family tree. This means that, in the show’s timeline, Aegon is actually the father of the Mad King, Aerys! It’s a clever twist that really changes how you look at the whole Targaryen history.

The show directly references both characters. Maester Aemon speaks of Egg as his brother and remembers him fondly as he dies, creating a very touching moment. Dunk is mentioned by Old Nan, who says Bran Stark loves hearing stories about him, and later by Jaime Lannister, who notes that the Kingsguard’s records contain four pages detailing Dunk’s life and suggests he was a remarkable man. As the book A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will demonstrate, Jaime was right.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms releases Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO and HBO Max.

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2026-01-18 21:12