And just like that, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has concluded its first season. With only six episodes, its run definitely feels short—but at the same time, it’s the perfect length to bring the story of The Hedge Knight to life.
Based on George R.R. Martin’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the first season follows Ser Duncan the Tall’s arrival at Ashford for a tourney, meeting his now-squire Egg (a.k.a. Prince Aegon Targaryen) along the way, and later participating in an intense trial of seven to prove his innocence. Dunk couldn’t have possibly anticipated any of these events, and now his life is forever changed.
Speaking of changes, there is one interesting change from the novella in the season finale revolving around Dunk and Egg and their future together—namely, that in The Hedge Knight, Prince Maekar Targaryen allows Egg to go off with Dunk on the road.
Dunk and Egg leave Ashford together in the end
Episode 6, “The Morrow,” follows the fallout of the trial, which, sadly, resulted in Prince Baelor Targaryen’s death. As Dunk comes to terms with what happened, he grapples with the fact that Baelor risked his life for him, and perhaps losing a foot wouldn’t have been so bad after all. Maekar also tells Dunk that Egg can continue to squire for him, and there’s a place for him at Summerhall—but Dunk declines the offer.
Dunk is done with princes and wants to serve the realm, not just House Targaryen. He asks Maekar if Egg can come on the road with him, but Maekar doesn’t believe “sleeping in ditches” and “eating hard salt beef”—so, in other words, not living like a royal—is fit for Egg. The episode ends with Egg sneaking out of Ashford with Dunk, talking about wanting to see Dorne. When House Targaryen makes their leave, Maekar then realizes that Egg is nowhere to be found.
Maekar allows Egg to go with Dunk in the book
As mentioned, it’s suggested that Maekar agrees to let Egg leave Ashford with Dunk in The Hedge Knight. Though we don’t see Maekar give his permission, this is what Egg tells Dunk, anyway, and there is no scene of Maekar looking for Egg in the end. This is what we get in the novella on the matter:
"The boy came the next morning, just as the sun was coming up. He wore old boots, brown breeches, a wool tunic, and a traveler’s cloak. ‘My father says I am to serve you.’"The Hedge Knight
This is what happens in the show, as well, followed by the scene of Maekar looking for Egg. Sure, it’s possible that in the novella, Maekar doesn’t actually give Egg permission, and he could just be saying he did, as it plays out in the show. But there’s no reason to believe Egg is lying in The Hedge Knight, whereas in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, we pretty much get confirmation that he is.
Why the change matters
Though it might be a small change in the grand scheme of things, explicitly confirming that Maekar does not let Egg go with Dunk in the show impacts how we can interpret the characters’ feelings and motivations. The novella suggests that Maekar might have a soft spot for Egg and wants him to enjoy his life, though, on the other hand, it could also be that, because Egg is so far down the line of succession, Maekar doesn’t have to worry about protecting him as much as his older sons.
I get why the show would want to add this change, for the sake of keeping things more dramatic and fun for television. The final scene of House Targaryen, which is actually a mid-credits scene, is both funny and entertaining, as Maekar yells “Where the f**k is he?!” before the rest of the credits roll.
Though A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has embraced the novella’s lighthearted nature, it’s still TV, and TV sometimes just needs to be more dramatic.
In addition, the show also adds a line from Maekar during his final conversation with Dunk, delivering the line “He’s my last son” in almost a pleading way for Dunk not to take Egg with him. This makes the adaptation even more complex, suggesting that Maekar knows his other two sons, Aerion and Daeron, might not be fit to rule the Seven Kingdoms. He wants to keep Egg by his side in case he does become the heir to the Iron Throne.
This is a really smart change for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms to make; though it doesn’t make a major impact on the storyline, it brings more depth to the characters and gives the viewer more to think about.
All six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are now streaming on HBO Max. Keep reading Winter is Coming for our continued coverage of the Game of Thrones prequel, as well as all of our thoughts on House of the Dragon as we get closer to the season 3 premiere in June.