In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5, "In the Name of the Mother," we finally learn a lot more about Dunk's backstory, where he's from, and how exactly he fell, literally, into Ser Arlan of Pennytree's care.
After Dunk (Peter Claffey) takes serious bonk on the head, though not the worst one we see in the episode, there's a flashback to roughly 13 years earlier as Dunk is a young lad stealing what he can from the bodies of dead soldiers after a battle in the Blackfyre Rebellion.
While the history is fascinating, it's who Dunk is hanging out with in Flea Bottom that has the fans talking. Of course, I'm talking about Dunk's best friend, Rafe, played by Chloe Lea.
Chloe Lea of Dune: Prophecy stars as Rafe in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
I know there's a lot of crossover among sci-fi and fantasy viewers, so most fans will recognize Lea from Dune: Prophecy. Before starring in this episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Lea starred as Sister Lila, one of the main characters in the series. Lea appeared in all 12 episodes of the first season of the HBO series.
According to reports, Lea will return as Lila in Dune: Prophecy season 2. Production on the show's second season started at the end of 2025 and is happening now.
Fans will also recognize Lea from Apple TV's Foundation. She appeared in six episodes of the first season way back in 2021.
We probably won't see much of Rafe again in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
The episode follows Dunk, who is played by Bamber Todd in the flashbacks, and Rafe's quest to gather enough trinkets they can sell for coin. From the jump, it's clear they are living no life of luxury. They're living basically in the gutters with the rats under a building, and Rafe is sick of it.
Rafe wants Dunk to join her in the Free Cities, but they need enough coin to book passage. Unfortunately, because of the Blackfyre Rebellion's end, the price for passage to the Free Cities doubles, and they don't have enough for both of them.
To make matters worse, Rafe is robbed, losing all her coin to a much older, stronger thief. Instead of just letting bygones be bygones, Rafe decides steals his dagger, but having been robbed by her earlier in the episode once, the thief catches Rafe and slits her throat.
Dunk watches as his best friend bleeds out in an alley before he attacks the killer. He's obviously no match, but Ser Arlan of Pennytree is. The drunken knight stumbles out into the fray, kills the older thieves, and leaves the city. With nowhere to go, Dunk follows him, and later, he becomes the wild knight's squire.
Unless we see more of Dunk's time before Rafe's death in flashbacks in future seasons of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, this is probably the last we will see of the character, which is a big shame. There are still stories, and friends from Dunk's past, who could pop up, so maybe, this isn't the end after all. It really feels that way, though!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 comes to an end on Sunday, Feb. 22. Stay tuned for more news about the hit HBO series.