The Game of Thrones universe continues early into the new year, with A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms premiering this Sunday, January 18. Serving as a sequel to House of the Dragon and a prequel to Game of Thrones, the six-episode series follows a hedge knight, Ser Duncan “Dunk” the Tall (Peter Claffey), and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), as they adventure through Westeros.
Unlike the two shows we already have in George R.R. Martin’s world, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, which is based on the author’s Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas, follows the smallfolk, with Dunk being an orphan from Flea Bottom whose mentor just died. The series is smaller in scale, which proves to be a good thing, as we get to know the regular people of the Seven Kingdoms instead of royalty.
But that doesn’t mean the Great Houses won’t play a role. Given that House Targaryen still sits the Iron Throne in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms—the third and final novella takes place about 70 years before Robert’s Rebellion—we’ll be seeing several Targaryen members throughout the series. We break down who to expect in season 1 here!
Daeron Targaryen
During this timeline of Westeros, King Daeron II Targaryen, also known as “Daeron the Good,” is the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. One of his grandsons is also named Daeron, aptly nicknamed “Daeron the Drunken” because of his recreational activities. The king has numerous grandchildren, but at the time of The Hedge Knight (a.k.a. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1), there is not one obvious successor, given that they each have their fair share of issues.
Henry Ashton portrays Daeron, who’s best known for roles in My Lady Jane, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, and Outlander.
Aerion Targaryen
Enter a new Game of Thrones baddie you’ll love to hate. Another grandson of King Daeron, Aerion is arrogant and cruel—though I’m sure on screen he’ll also be totally captivating. Known to many as “Aerion the Monstrous,” despite his preferred nickname “Brightflame,” we’ll see his true nature pretty quickly on in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Aerion is the second son of Maekar Targaryen and Dyanna Dayne, and we get to meet some of his other siblings this season, such as Daeron, but not all of them. The character is portrayed by Finn Bennett, who you’ll recognize from True Detective: Night Country. Bennett has also appeared in the shows Black Doves and Domina, as well as the movie Warfare and other titles.
Valarr Targaryen
Moving around the Targaryen family tree just a bit now, Valarr is another grandson of King Daeron, but a cousin to Aerion and Daeron. He’s the oldest child of Baelor Targaryen, a.k.a. “Baleor Breakspear,” and Jena Dondarrion. We’ll get to see him participate in the tourney during A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, as numerous princes fight early on.
Because Valarr has both Dornish and Dondarrion blood, his hair isn’t totally silver. He’s actually known to have mostly brown hair, with a blonde streak in the front.
Valarr is played by Oscar Morgan, who played Turner Hayes in Gotham Knights, and had minor roles in The Crown and Master of the Air.
Baleor Targaryen
Valarr’s father is Baelor Breakspear, the first son of King Daeron and Queen Myriah Martell. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he serves as the Hand of the King and is widely respected for his honor, fairness, and skill as a fighter.
A distinct thing about Baelor is that he’s a Targaryen with brown hair. And yes, his father truly is a Targaryen—unlike Queen Rhaenyra’s kids, Jacaerys and Lucerys, seen in House of the Dragon. This is because his mother was a Dornish princess, and people of Dorne typically have dark hair and olive skin.
Baelor is portrayed by Bertie Carvel in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, who has had roles in shows like The Crown and Doctor Who, as well as movies such as The Tragedy of Macbeth. He’s also voiced an Imperial Agent in numerous Star Wars video games.
Maekar Targaryen
Making our way down the list, we’ll also get to meet Maekar Targaryen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, another son of King Daeron. He has the signature silver Targaryen hair, unlike his brother Baelor. Known as a skilled army commander, he’s a bit colder than his brother and harder to get along with. As mentioned, he’s the father of Aerion and Daeron.
Like the other Targaryens on this list, Maekar plays a role in the tourney at Ashford Meadow, though you’ll have to wait and see how. The character is played by Sam Spruell, known for roles in The Bastard Executioner, Fargo, Doctor Who, and Dune: Prophecy.
And a surprise
Because we want to keep this as spoiler-free as possible, we won’t be elaborating any further. We’ll come back to update this post once a certain episode releases!
Considering the timeline, it makes sense that we have not seen these Targaryens before. But, of course, they’re from a very long bloodline with familiar faces all throughout the family tree. Though Aemon Targaryen—the maester to the Night’s Watch in Game of Thrones—is Aerion and Daeron’s brother, we won’t see him in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 that we know of.
Tune in for the premiere of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on HBO and HBO Max this Sunday, January 18, at 10:00 p.m. ET., and head back to Winter is Coming, where we’ll be discussing the new series all season long. Our podcast, Take the Black, has returned to discuss all things AKOTSK and more fantasy and sci-fi shows and movies, so check us out!