When A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms wrapped its first season earlier this year, many viewers walked away wondering about one particular character: what happened to Tanselle? The Dornish puppeteer, played by Tanzyn Crawford, had a decent bit of screen time and focus in the first few episodes of the show, only to vanish halfway through the season.
Her character also quickly became one of the more charming presences in those early episodes of the show. The slightly-awkward interactions with Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) gave the show a nice warmth that fans of George R.R. Martin’s world don’t always expect.
But, during Tanselle’s dragon-slaying puppet show, Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennet) snapped one of her fingers in a fit of rage. Dunk’s defense of her led to the show’s highlight moment — the Trial of Seven.
By the season finale, Tanselle had quietly fled for Dorne. In an interview during the press tour of the show, Peter Claffey shared a bit more about what viewers could expect of Tanselle if the show does continue beyond its third season.
Peter Claffey Says Dunk and Tanselle Will Share the Screen Again
Speaking with Italian journalist Marco Spagnoli, Peter Claffey hinted that Dunk and Tanselle’s story is far from finished. Sitting alongside Tanzyn Crawford, the actor confirmed that he has been told about story developments that go beyond the three novellas that George R.R. Martin has officially published.
Claffey explained that the creative team — including showrunner Ira Parker and Martin himself — have shared additional information about where Dunk and Egg’s story eventually goes.
“I’ve had conversations with very in-the-know people, so I have to be very careful about what I say,” Claffey said cautiously during the interview. “But obviously we know the first, second, and third novellas, so we know how those things will originate. And the reason that Dunk and Egg leave to go in 'The Sworn Sword,' the second one, to go to Dorne is in search of Tanselle and her company. But without trying to spoil anything, if we push on very far...I'm pretty sure you'll probably see Tanselle and Ser Duncan the Tall in the same room together again."
Crawford talked about how the possibility of continuing Tanselle’s journey is just as exciting. The actress previously also hinted that the character’s feelings toward Dunk evolve significantly after he risks his life defending her at Ashford.
Those first three books — "The Hedge Knight," "The Sworn Sword," and "The Mystery Knight" — form the backbone of the show’s first three seasons. Season 1 adapts The Hedge Knight, which introduced Dunk and his young squire Egg, the boy who will one day become King Aegon V Targaryen.
In the original Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, the first book is essentially where Tanselle’s story ends. She never appears again in the following two published sequels. But the HBO adaptation may be planning something very different.
Parker has stated numerous times before that George R.R. martin has provided him with an outline of around twelve more Dunk and Egg stories, and that he’d love to be able to adapt all of them, albeit with quite a few time jumps and a very ambitious show structure.
Season 2, which is currently filming and set to released sometime in 2027, will be adapting "The Sworn Sword." This season will see Dunk and Egg serving Ser Eustace Osgrey during a bitter drought in the Reach. We have also received some major casting announcements for it, and will be on the lookout for more updates as filming continues.