Poor Dunk (Peter Claffey) is locked up and miserable but still capable of showing kindness to a rat, as HBO’s A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode four opens. Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) visits him in his cell, bringing food and an apology for lying to him about his identity.
(The following is a recap of season one, episode four and contains spoilers!)
Dunk’s still having a hard time wrapping his head around Egg being the nephew of Prince Baelor “Breakspear” Targaryen, the heir to the Iron Throne. Egg confirms his real name is Aegon and that he and Daeron were supposed to hide out in the inn until the tourney was over. Daeron’s the one who shaved his head.
Egg’s got tears in his eyes as he confesses that he was disappointed he couldn’t go to the tourney and just wanted to be someone’s squire. He insists that he’s sorry and then reveals his uncle wants to see Dunk.
Dunk begins the conversation with Prince Baelor (Bertie Carvel) by calling Egg a good boy and a good squire. Egg attempts to protest when Baelor suggests he should have come to him instead of Dunk when he saw what his brother, Aerion, was doing to the puppeteers.
Egg admits he wanted Aerion dead. He’s sent away so Dunk and Baelor can talk in private. It turns out Daeron told his father, Prince Maekar Targaryen, that Dunk kidnapped Egg. Which, of course, he didn’t.
Prince Baelor doesn’t seem to agree with Aerion that slaying a dragon, even in a play, is an attack on House Targaryen. However, no one is allowed to lay hands on the Blood of the Dragon. Dunk believes Prince Baelor would have also defended Tanselle, since all knights pledge to protect the innocent.
Prince Baelor won’t let Aerion take Dunk’s head, but there will be a trial. If he is found guilty, he could lose a hand and a leg. Prince Baelor needs to know how good a knight Dunk actually is because there are other options.
Dunk stands before the Targaryens and requests a trial by combat. Aerion (Finn Bennett) refuses and instead demands a trial of seven, which Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell) has no idea exists. Baelor explains it’s an ancient trial that was created by the Andals. Dunk and his six champions will need to fight Aerion and his six champions.
Maekar thinks the trial of seven is nonsense and that Aerion should fight alone. Aerion refuses. Dunk doesn’t have six men and if he can’t gather them, he’ll be declared guilty.
Dunk is set free to return to his camp and finds Ser Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas) there, taking care of his horses. Raymun admits he’s surprised Dunk’s alive and invites him to dinner. The surprise continues when Dunk explains he’s to face the trial of seven.
Raymun’s cousin, Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley), dines with them and declares this is knightly combat that Raymun couldn’t possibly understand. Steffon volunteers to fight beside Dunk, but Dunk doesn’t think that’s a wise idea. Steffon would have to face the Targaryens’ wrath. But Steffon doesn’t seem worried about that. He thinks they can call on five of his honorable friends to join them. His list includes Ser Lyonel, Lord Lannister, and Ser Otho.
“You shan’t die under my watch, ser. I promise you that,” says Steffon.
Steffon leaves and Raymun admits he’s not sure his cousin can gather men to fight. Raymun believes Dunk should just run, since he’ll die anyway.
Egg suddenly walks into the tent, ready to return as Dunk’s squire for the battle. He’s accompanied by his brother, Prince Daeron “The Drunken” Targaryen (Henry Ashton), and Dunk immediately reacts by holding him at knifepoint. Daeron admits he lied and Egg begs for Dunk to release his brother. Egg reveals his father will be one of Aerion’s men, and so will Daeron. However, Daeron explains he’ll try to make it look good on the first charge but wants to be knocked out quickly after that.
Egg says the Kingsguard will also be fighting for Aerion. He believes he can round up men to fight for Dunk, and Dunk reminds Egg that he’s fighting Targaryens. Egg knows the Kingsguard will protect his father, and Daeron will take a fall early on. As for Aerion, he’s hated him since he was a child. He recalls how Aerion used to come into his room and threaten to cut off his penis to make him a girl—a girl who Aerion would then marry.
Daeron confirms Aerion is evil and asks to speak with Dunk privately. He can see things in his dreams that come true; it runs in his Targaryen blood. “I have seen you, ser, and a fire…and a dead dragon. A great beast with wings so large they could cover this meadow. It had fallen on top of you, but you were alive and the dragon was dead,” says Daeron.
Dunk asks if he killed the dragon and Daeron admits he didn’t see what happened. Daeron believes he’s going to hell and apologizes again for lying about Dunk kidnapping Egg.
Dunk wanders into the puppet show tent that’s been torn apart by Aerion and the Kingsguard. Steely Pate the armorer (Youssef Kerkour) pops in and tells Dunk that Tanselle finished his shield. They head to Steely Pate’s tent and Dunk learns that Tanselle has escaped to Dorne. The shield she painted looks gorgeous, and the armorer added much better metal to its rim. It’s thicker and stronger but will be heavier. Given Dunk’s size, that shouldn’t matter.
Dunk looks at the painting on his shield and thinks it heralds death. Steely Pate disagrees, suggesting that it actually represents life because the elm tree is alive. Dunk becomes emotional and asks how much this will cost. Steely Pate only wants a copper.
Morning arrives and Dunk walks onto the field. Ser Robyn Rhysling (William Houston) announces he’s going against the crown because the crown is going against the gods. Ser Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon (Daniel Ings) is also there, ready to go to battle alongside Dunk. But it turns out Ser Steffon didn’t round him up; it was Egg who gathered Dunk’s champions.
Ser Lyonel is happy to participate in the first trial of seven in hundreds of years. He says, “I wasn’t about to miss a chance to bloody up the Kingsguard in their pretty white gowns.”
The crowd is silent as Aerion and his champions ride into the field. Ser Steffon walks up and asks Raymun for his helm. It’s not much of a surprise when it turns out he’s a traitor and will be fighting on Aerion’s side. The prince promised to make him a lord if he thwarted Dunk. Raymun slams the helm into Steffon’s chest and refuses to be his squire.
Dunk is still short two men and Raymun asks to be knighted. He’ll fight in Steffon’s place. Ser Lyonel agrees with Raymun’s decision and steps in to knight him
Fog has settled over the field when Dunk rides to its center and is told by Aerion that he’s not allowed to fight with only six. And if he doesn’t fight, he’ll be declared guilty. Dunk asks for a minute and addresses the knights in the stands. He speaks of Ser Arlan of Pennytree, who served many of those assembled and reminds them that knights defend the innocent.
He has lived by Ser Arlan’s example of being an honorable man. He asks for one of them to fight alongside him and the Brute of Bracken stands—but only to fart. When no one else moves, Dunk asks if courage has deserted the noble houses of Westeros.
He shouts, “Are there no true knights among you?” Seconds later, Prince Baelor rides on to the field and announces he’s fighting on Ser Duncan’s side. The crowd explodes in applause.
Maekar can’t believe his brother would fight Aerion. But Baelor knows true knights protect the innocent. The Game of Thrones theme plays during this scene and it’s goosebump-inducing.
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