Game of Thrones: Every Targaryen who should appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

Back in HBO, HBO officially announced that it was making a Game of Thrones spinoff based on George R.R. Martin’s Dune and Egg novellas, the first three of which are collected in the book A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The show is currently called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Casting calls were reportedly sent out in October. Now that the writers and actors strikes are over, filming is scheduled to commence this spring, and a premiere date in 2025 is looking like a decent bet.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will take place 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. The story follows Ser Duncan the Tall and his 10-year-old squire Egg, who is secretly a Targaryen prince named Aegon (of course it’s Aegon). At this point in Westerosi history, dragons are gone but the Targaryen dynasty is still relatively strong. Egg has many Targaryen family members who we’ll get to know.

Other than Egg, here is every Targaryen that could possibly appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight.

Daeron II Targaryen

In the first Dunk and Egg novella, called The Hedge Knight, begins, the king of Westeros is Egg’s grandfather Daeron II. Many of the notable events in Daeron’s rule have already happened at this point. This story begins near the end of his 25-year reign. But the show will likely be full of references to his feats as King, such as bringing Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms, putting down the first Blackfyre rebellion and fostering a long era of peace.

Daeron and his wife Myriah Martell had four children together. Their marriage fully united Dorne with the rest of the realm, although the desert region continued to enjoy special perks the other kingdoms didn’t. Daeron earned the nickname “The Good” for his kind-hearted nature and wisdom he gained through reading books and hanging out with maesters. At the age of 55, Daeron succumbed to a plague called the Great Spring Sickness which killed tens of thousands in Westeros.

Daeron doesn’t explicitly show up in the Dunk and Egg novellas, but the show will likely expand upon the source material significantly, especially with Martin consulting on the scripts. I think seeing Daeron in the flesh would add to the narrative and show that not every Targaryen monarch is a bloodthirsty madman.

Baelor Targaryen, aka Baelor Breakspear

Unlike his father Daeron, Baelor Breakspear plays a pivotal role in the first Dunk and Egg novella. As Daeron’s eldest son, Baelor was a capable warrior and politician, serving as his father’s Hand of the King for 13 years. Although some mistrusted Baelor because he had the dark hair and skin complexion of his Dornish mother, he won respect with his honor and likable nature.

During a tourney at Ashford Meadow, Baelor joins Dunk in a trial of seven, a massive seven-vs-seven duel. The trial is prompted when Dunk stopped Baelor’s nephew Aerion from assaulting a peasant woman, and Baelor sides with Dunk against members of his own family simply because Dunk acted as an honorable and chivalrous knight. When it looks like the fighting is over, Baelor stumbles and removes his helmet only for part of his head to come off with it. It turns out his younger brother Maekar had accidently struck him in the head with a mace and dealt a fatal blow to the king’s heir.

Although his role is brief, Baelor is a great character. He’s one of the few high-born people in this world to take the word of a low-born knight over that of his own royal family members. That says a lot in a world where drunken princes ruin lives for fun. His brief but important role in this story will undoubtedly be compared to Ned Stark in season 1 of Game of Thrones.

Valarr and Matarys Targaryen

The two sons and heirs of Baelor Breakspear are fairly minor characters in the Dunk and Egg novellas; Matarys nevers appears and Valarr plays only a small part in the first book.

Valarr was known as the Young Dragon. During tournaments he donned black armor with a three-headed dragon helmet, similar to what Daemon Targaryen wears in House of the Dragon. His father borrows this armor for the trial of seven, since Baelor did not bring armor with him to the Ashford Tourney. When Baelor died, Dunk tries to console Valarr at the funeral but is brushed off by the young prince.

Like his father, Valarr did not have the typical silver Targaryen hair color, but a mop of brown hair with a streak of silver running through it. He was married to Kiera of Tyrosh, but every time they tried to have a child, the result was a stillborn. While Valarr was heir to the throne, he died in the Great Spring Sickness alongside his brother Matarys and the king Daeron II, resulting in Valarr’s uncle Aerys I Targaryen ascending the throne.

Aerys I Targaryen

As the second son of Daeron II, Aerys likely didn’t anticipate becoming king, especially after his older brother Baelor produced two sons. But after Baelor’s line ended and Daeron passed away, Aerys found himself sitting on the Iron Throne. However, accounts suggest that Aerys preferred to read books rather than rule the kingdoms, so he appointed his uncle Brynden Rivers (Bloodraven) as Hand of the King to rule in his stead.

Aerys’ 12-year-reign was tumultuous, with the Spring Sickness, a year-long drought, frequent Ironborn raids and two Blackfyre rebellions. Aerys did take action after Blackfyre leader Aegor Rivers, aka Bittersteel, was finally captured. He was brought to King’s Landing, but instead of executing him, Aerys ordered him to join the Night’s Watch. On the boat-ride to the Wall, Bittersteel escaped to Essos to plan the next Blackfyre rebellion.

Aerys never has any children, and The World of Ice & Fire says he would rather bring a book into bed than his wife Aelinor. Ouch. After a few more untimely deaths, Aerys’ heir and eventual successor was his youngest brother Maekar, who ascended the throne when Aerys died in 221 AC.

Through Aerys, we could see how Bloodraven was able to grasp so much power as Hand of the King. I think that would be one of his biggest roles on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Maekar Targaryen

The fourth son of King Daeron II was Maekar Targaryen, and he will undoubtedly appear in the show because he is Egg’s father and he plays a fairly large role in the first Dunk and Egg novella. Along with his sons Egg, Aerion and Daeron, Maekar was in attendance at the Tourney at Ashford and fought alongside Aerion in the trial of seven when he sought vengeance against Duncan.

At the end of the novella, Maekar confesses to accidentally killing his brother Baelor and expresses deep regret. In response to the events, Maekar banishes Aerion to the Free Cities and offered Dunk a position in his personal guard so he could be a mentor to Egg. When Dunk refuses, Maekar allows Egg to travel with Dunk on the promise he keep his head shaved so his identity will remain hidden. Maekar also gives his son a ring with his personal seal on it in case of emergencies.

I think it will be fun to see Maekar onscreen. He reminds me of a Targaryen version of Stannis Baratheon. Maekar was a strong warrior with a powerful build who brandished a mace in battle, and is described in The World of Ice and Fire as harsh, quick to judge and not very charismatic. Like Stannis, Maekar is a decorated war hero, having served as a commander in two Blackfyre Rebellions. However, he got little credit for his role in the first Blackfyre rebellion, with his brother Baelor getting most of the glory for leading a charge against the rebels. This wounded Maekar’s pride; he felt his role was under-appreciated, much like Stannis felt under-appreciated for holding Storm’s End through a siege while his brother Robert was celebrated for slaying Rhaegar Targaryen at the Trident.

Maekar eventually becomes king of Westeros and sits the throne for 12 years, so he would be an interesting character for the show to focus on. He also has an interesting relationship with Bloodraven, as he feuded with his powerful uncle early in life but chose to keep him as Hand of the King when he ascended the throne. With Bloodraven being a schemer that will likely put Littlefinger and Varys to shame, his dynamic with Maekar could end up being one of the more fascinating relationships on the series should they flesh it out properly.

Daeron “the Drunken” Targaryen

Maekar’s oldest son was known as Daeron the drunken, as he spent most of his time in taverns and brothels rather than riding and fighting. On the way to the Ashford tourney, Daeron slipped away from the royal escort and took Egg with him to get drunk at an inn. He shaved Egg’s head to conceal him, giving him his iconic look to match his nickname.

Egg meets Dunk in the inn and asks if he could be his squire. Although Dunk refuses, Egg follows him anyway, and Daeron doesn’t stop him because he’s preoccupied with drinking. Later, Daeron lies and says Dunk kidnapped Egg, which complicates things when Aerion Targaryen demands a Trial of Seven in which Dunk is involved.

Daeron is one of the few Targaryens blessed/cursed with prophetic dreams. He admits that he saw Dunk standing over a dead dragon in a dream and it frightened him. Daeron apologizes to Dunk for lying, and although he fights on his brother Aerion’s side in the trial, he agrees to not participate and stays on the ground when he gets knocked off his horse.

Although he is kind of a drunken fool, Daeron plays a pivotal role in the first novella; if it wasn’t for his alcoholism, Dunk and Egg never would have met. In the grand scheme of things, he does very little to impact the Targaryen legacy besides having a daughter named Vaella with his wife Kiera. He dies at the age of 43 from a pox he caught after visiting a brothel, which contributes to a succession crisis when Maekar dies later.

Aerion Targaryen

Aerion is the resident crazy Targaryen in this time period, and Dunk and Egg’s main antagonist in The Hedge Knight despite being Egg’s older brother. In their youth, Aerion apparently threw Egg’s cat down a well. Egg’s older brother Daeron referred to him as “quite the monster.”

During the Ashford tourney, Aerion punishes a girl named Tenselle because she conducted a puppet show with a dragon dying which offended the prince. Dunk intervened by punching Aerion. Dunk is arrested and Aerion calls for his execution. But Aerion’s uncle and Hand of the King Baelor Breakspear refuses to allow his execution. Dunk demands a trial by combat and Aerion raises the stakes by making it a Trial of Seven.

Dunk uses the fighting skills he learned in Flea Bottom to beat the prince down and put a dagger to his face, forcing Aerion to yield. Maekar sends Aerion to Lys after the tourney, hoping a few years in Essos will change him for the better. At some point, Aerion returns to Westeros and fights in the third Blackfyre rebellion on the side of the loyalists. He also urges King Aerys to execute Bittersteel instead of sending him to the Wall.

Aerion had one child named Maegor, which was off-putting because the only prominent Targaryen by that name before this was also a madman. For some reason, Aerion drank a cup of wildfire and died relatively young, saving the realm from another cruel king.

I think Aerion will be a fun character to hate in this show, since he is basically a more competent and dangerous version of Daenerys’ brother Viserys.

(Maester) Aemon Targaryen

Egg’s older brother Aemon is the very same Maester Aemon we met on Game of Thrones, who faithfully serves the Night’s Watch for decades. He’ll be much younger in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. In their youth, Egg and Aemon were close and shared dreams of being dragonriders together. Aemon is also the one who gave Aegon the nickname Egg. On Game of Thrones, Aemon even mentions Egg in his last words: “Egg, I dreamed that I was old.”

Because there were so many potential heirs during the rule of Daeron II, Daeron opted to send Aemon to Oldtown where he learned to be a Maester at the Citadel. This removed him from the succession calculation, since maesters can’t become kings. Sometime between the second and third novella, Dunk and Egg visit Aemon in Oldtown and he gives them a mule that Egg affectionately names Maester.

When he forged his chain and finished his studies, Aemon served his brother Daeron on Dragonstone, not wanting to supplant the Grand Maester already serving in King’s Landing. When his father King Maekar died, a great council was called to determine the next ruler of Westeros. Aemon was considered for the position, but he was a humble man already on the path of a maester and refused to take the throne. Egg was then chosen, and ascended as King Aegon V while Aemon opted to join the Night’s Watch so greedy lords wouldn’t try to use him in plots against his brother.

I think having a young version of Maester Aemon would be such a fantastic way to connect Egg’s story with the main series. Seeing him in his prime as a young and humble maester would go a long way towards showing just how good-natured Aemon is and how much he loved his brother. This would also be a great opportunity for the show to continue House of the Dragon’s prophecies as Aemon was a bit obsessed with the Prince Who Was Promised lore at one point. (Honestly, who wasn’t?)

Brynden Rivers, aka Bloodraven

Brynden Rivers, commonly known as Bloodraven, is a character who could reveal some big picture things about Westeros. He is the most interesting character from this time period, for several reasons. He eventually becomes the Three-Eyed Raven, the powerful magic-wielding tree wizard who teaches Bran Stark. I was not very impressed with Bloodraven’s portrayal on Game of Thrones, so A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has a chance to redeem the character.

Bloodraven is the bastard child of King Aegon IV Targaryen. He was legitimized by his father on his deathbed alongside his half-siblings Daemon Blackfyre, Aegor “Bittersteel” Rivers and Shiara Seastar. When Daemon and Bittersteel orchestrated the first Blackfyre rebellion, Bloodraven stayed loyal to his half-brother Daeron II, who now sat on the Iron Throne. When Daeron’s son Aerys became king, Bloodraven served as his Hand and remained in the position for more than 20 years.

It was known that Bloodraven employed a series of spies similar to Varys and Littlefinger, but he also had the advantage of weirwood magic and probably skinchanging as well. In the third Dunk and Egg novella, The Mystery Knight, Dunk and Egg find themselves in the middle of the second Blackfyre Rebellion before it is foiled by Bloodraven, who unexpectedly shows up with an army. Bloodraven passes judgement on all the traitorous lords and has a talk with Dunk and Egg. Impressively, Egg stands up to his formidable uncle.

Years later, when King Maekar dies, Bloodraven calls a great council to decide the next king. When Egg is chosen, he strips Bloodraven of his Hand of the King role and sends him to the Wall as punishment for wrongfully executing a man named Aenys Blackfyre. Bloodraven becomes the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch before disappearing and becoming the Three-Eyed Raven.

I would honestly watch an entire show focused on Bloodraven because his true motivations are unknown in the books. There are so many question surrounding him. How did he develop his green sight powers? Does he know about the Prince Who Was Promised? How long did he know about the White Walkers? Why the heck did he decide to become a tree? So much potential for cool storytelling with this guy and I hope they nail his portrayal in the new show.

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