Fans of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, the newest HBO series set in George R. R. Martin's world of Westeros, who have been enchanted by young Aegon Targaryen, also known as Egg, may want to avoid looking into the Tragedy at Summerhall. Sadly, Egg is killed in a fire at the Stormlands castle, along with several other key figures, including his son, Prince Duncan Targaryen, when he tries to bring dragons back into the world. The event has already been foreshadowed in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, with a fortune teller who appears in the series' third episode, "The Squire," predicting that Egg will die in flames.
The Tragedy at Summerhall is anticipated to mark the end of The Tales of Dunk and Egg, given that Egg, and, presumably, his Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, a.k.a. "Dunk," perish in the fire. However, actor Dextor Sol Ansell, who plays Egg in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, recently dropped a bombshell revelation that changes everything fans thought they knew about Summerhall, and what becomes of Dunk and Egg.
The Survivor of Summerhall
In a recent interview with Decider, Sol Ansell, along with his co-star, Peter Claffey, who portrays Dunk, are asked what they know about Summerhall. While the two initially play coy, Sol Ansell eventually lets slip that, "We know Dunk survives." Additionally, the actors previously stated that they'd heard about the details of Summerhall "from George [R.R. Martin]." Claffey's immediate attempt to change the subject to the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms implies that the show's creative team didn't want this information out there just yet.
Previously, readers believed Dunk to have been a casualty of the Tragedy at Summerhall. To date, he is listed as having died in the fire on the official A Song of Ice and Fire wiki, but according to Sol Ansell, and, by extension, Martin himself, this isn't accurate. Dunk's story may continue after Summerhall after all.
Where could Dunk have gone after Summerhall?
Martin has teased many future Dunk & Egg stories which take place after the third and most recently published novella featuring the duo, "The Mystery Knight." A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms showrunner Ira Parker said, in a Reddit AMA, that Martin gave him "10-12" future Dunk and Egg stories which should help sustain the series if ever surpasses its published source material, like how Game of Thrones outpaced A Song of Ice and Fire.
If Dunk actually survives Summerhall, perhaps some of these stories take place in the aftermath of that tragedy. It's also worth noting that, in the interview, Sol Ansell says "We don't know if Egg survives yet." This implies the possibility that Egg may also make it out of Summerhall alive, and that some of their future adventures could follow the fire.
It's also worth noting that the Tragedy at Summerhall marked the birth of Egg's great-grandson Prince Rhaegar Targaryen, one of the most important characters in A Song of Ice and Fire, even though his death predates the books. According to Martin's lore, Rhaegar was known to return to Summerhall alone from time to time, with Barristan Selmy saying that, although Rhaegar was haunted by the castle, it was also the place he loved best. The site inspired him to write songs on his harp about "the death of kings."
However, if Dunk (and even Egg) survived Summerhall, perhaps they crossed paths with a young Rhaegar, visiting the site of his birth. While this is all speculation, a meeting between Rhaegar and Dunk would help further bridge the gap between A Song of Ice and Fire and The Tales of Dunk and Egg. The possibility of these two characters interacting also helps put into perspective how these two stories are ultimately closer in time as they seem, since Rhaegar is the father of Jon Snow.
The importance of this interview
A good plot twist changes the reality of what the audiences knows, often opening up possibilities they might not even realize. From the sound of it, Dunk's survival of Summerhall will be a great plot twist.
Given the magnitude of the reveal, it's shocking that it seems to have come out on accident in an interview featuring the two actors playing with cute puppets. Imagine what the reaction would have been if, back when Game of Thrones was airing, Kit Harrington casually confirmed that R+L does, in fact, equal J. A Song of Ice and Fire fans have already gone crazy speculating about what Dunk's escape means not only for his story, but what ripple effects it causes throughout the world of Westeros.
Make sure to tune into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which airs new episodes Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET.