Up until its most recent episode, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been a relatively bloodless affair, especially when compared to the two previous Westeros shows, Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon. While Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) kills a horse in a joust, and Ser Arlan (Danny Webb) dies off screen shortly before the series kicks off, not many important (human) characters have been killed or seriously injured throughout the show.
However, this changed in the show's fifth episode, "In the Name of the Mother," which features two somewhat prominent character deaths. The first takes place during a flashback, in which series protagonist Dunk (Peter Claffey, with Bamber Todd playing a younger Dunk in this sequence) watches his friend Rafe (Chloe Lea) die after getting her throat slit. Dunk is then saved by Ser Arlan, who defeats Rafe's killers.
While Rafe's death is devastatingly hard to watch, it lacks the world-shifting implications of the episode's second character demise. After the trial of seven, Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel), who fought on Dunk's side against his own family, succumbs to his wounds.
Baelor's death has huge implications throughout Westeros. As Baelor was next in line for the throne, his passing changes the order of succession, which eventually leads to his brother Maekar (Sam Spruell) becoming king, which will one day allow for young Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell) to take the throne, and finally, will result in the reign of Mad King Aerys, kicking off the events of Game of Thrones. Additionally, the way in which Baelor's death is shown on screen symbolically represents the huge changes to the Seven Kingdoms that take place during Dunk and Egg's adventures.
The death of Baelor Targaryen
After a severely wounded Dunk wins the trial of seven, forcing Aerion to yield and withdraw his accuasations, he speaks with Baelor, thanking him for his aid in the fight and pledging his fealty. When Baelor asks for help removing his helmet, he discovers a huge, gaping wound in the back of his head, which, sadly, proves to be fatal. The episode ends with Dunk sobbing over a dying Baelor.
It is worth noting that, until Baelor discovers his wound, he appears to be relatively fine. He only begins to feel stiff after noticing the wound, and once he realizes its severity, he dies quickly thereafter.
Baelor's death represents the fall of House Targaryen
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place as House Targaryen begins to lose its power. They are no longer as feared and respected as they were throughout their apex, as evidenced by the crowd's reaction to Aeron's cruelty during his joust, and Raymun Fossoway's (Shaun Thomas) harsh anti-Targaryen sentiments.
The Targaryens have lost much of their influence due to the fact that the are no longer the house of the dragon. Their iconic companions have all died out by the time of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. As such, the fearsome force behind Aegon's conquest is no more, weakening House Targaryen's influence throughout the realm.
Eventually, House Targaryen would lose its grasp on the Seven Kingdoms altogether. Not long before the events of Game of Thrones, Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) leads a rebellion to overthrow the Targaryen royals, eventually taking the crown himself and ruling Westeros until his death. Without dragons, the Targaryens are as defeatable as anyone else in the Seven Kingdoms.
Baelor's fatal wound represents the loss of the Targaryens' dragons. Much like Baelor, the Targaryens stood strong for some time after suffering this damning blow, without realizing the severity of the injury. However, the damage ultimately proved to be too great to heal, and would eventually lead to Baelor's death and the Targaryens' downfall respectively.
Additionally, Baelor's head injury comes from his brother Maekar, which he pieces together shortly before his death. This ties into the fall of House Targaryen, since their fatal blow, the loss of the dragons, also came from wounds dealt by family members. Most of the last Targaryen dragons died during the conflict known as the Dance of Dragons, depicted in House of the Dragon, in which two separate factions of Targaryens, the "Greens" and the "Blacks," fought over the Iron Throne. Just as Maekar is responsible for his brother's death, House Targaryen is responsible for its own downfall.
Make sure to catch the season finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms when it airs on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, February 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET.