A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms totally delivers on its penultimate episode of the season, and fans who hadn’t read The Hedge Knight are left blown away by what went down. Of course, we get to see the trial of seven ensue in Episode 5, titled “In the Name of the Mother,” in which Dunk fights with six other men against Aerion and his team of six to determine whether he is guilty or innocent of his crimes. But the very last outcome of the trial is not something Dunk is expecting.
To back up a little bit, Dunk is on trial for his crimes against the Targaryens, particularly Aerion Targaryen, who Dunk beat up for harming the local girl Tanselle, and Daeron Targaryen, who lied to his father and said Dunk was a robber who stole Egg. Because this is House Targaryen and Dunk is nothing but a hedge knight, he needs to pay for what he’s done.
But in a surprising move, it’s not a trial by combat that Dunk has to face; Aerion chooses a trial of seven, an ancient form of trial by combat which sees more men involved. “The Andals believed that if seven champions fought, the gods, being thus honored, would be more like to intervene and see the guilty party punished,” Baelor explains.
Daeron’s dream comes true
And to put even more pressure on Dunk, Daeron confides in him about an important dream he’s had in Episode 4, which means a Targaryen death. As we discussed in our post-episode coverage last week, Daeron shares that he dreamt of a dragon falling dead onto Dunk and Dunk surviving. This dream, which we can interpret as a prophecy, signals that a Targaryen (who believe they have dragon blood) will die, potentially during the trial of seven.
And now, after seeing this week’s episode, we know that’s true, in the form of Baelor Targaryen. In the final moments of the episode, Baelor seeks assistance after the trial of seven concludes, not realizing how badly injured he is. It happens so suddenly; his helmet is removed, and the back of his head is exposed, revealing a terrible wound. He falls forward and dies in Dunk’s arms, which is what happens in the novella, too.
Dunk’s tragic line would’ve made the scene more dramatic
But there is one moment from The Hedge Knight that is not included here, which is a shame, because it would’ve made the scene all the more dramatic. When the trial of seven is over and Dunk asks who lived and who died, he starts to realize that perhaps Daeron’s dream was somehow wrong. He learns that Daeron survived, and, thanks to his decision to spare Aerion’s life, Aerion survived, too.
Dunk says aloud while in a daze, injured badly himself:
"Dazed and confused as he was, Dunk felt a huge sense of relief. ‘His dream was wrong, then. The dead dragon.’"The Hedge Knight
Of course, Dunk doesn’t realize until it’s too late that Baelor is dying, making his declaration so incredibly heartwrenching. He doesn’t even consider that Baelor could be the Targaryen who dies, because Baelor is such a skilled knight, and such a respected, honorable man, that he just can’t die. But, sadly, he is the dragon who falls to his fate in the end.
Baelor’s death is a major loss to the realm. Not only was he a great knight, but he was also Hand to the King and heir to the Iron Throne. Most would agree that he would’ve made a fine king if he had the chance, and his life being cut so short is a complete tragedy. There’s no doubt Dunk will live with this guilt for a long time.
Still not fully processing Baelor’s death after watching A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 5? I read the novella, and it was still a major gut-punch to see onscreen. What an episode!
Keep up with our coverage of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and the Game of Thrones franchise here at Winter is Coming, and don’t forget to tune in to our podcast, Take the Black, every week.