The second episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, "Hard Salt Beef," brought audiences right back into the tourney at Ashford Meadow. The series' second outing raises the stakes, introducing viewers to the royal Targaryan family, showcasing some jousting action, and deepening the bonds between series leads Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his young squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell).
The episode also brings back a fan favorite from the series pilot, Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford). Nicknamed "Tanselle Too-Tall" for her height, the charming puppeteer often puts on shows for an adoring crowd. In this episode, Dunk commissions her to re-paint his shield with a sigil of his own that he and Egg devise on the spot.
However, there may be some significance to the specific story Tanselle's puppets brought to life in this most recent episode. This Westerosi legend may tie in with Dunk's story, as well as connect him to a surprising protagonist from George R.R. Martin's main series, A Song of Ice and Fire.
Who is Florian the Fool?
In "Hard Salt Beef," Tanselle tells the story of Florian the Fool, who lived during Westeros' Age of Heroes, a time long predating even Aegon's Conquest. Florian was a court jester who rose through the ranks to become a "great knight." His noble deeds are known throughout the Seven Kingdoms to this day, despite his low birth.
Famously, Florian fell in love with a maiden named Jonquil, who he first stumbled upon when he saw her bathing in a pool in a town now appropriately called Maidenpool. Florian and Jonquil's love is regarded as among the deepest, purest loves in any Westerosi legend.
How Florian's story mirrors Dunk's
Throughout A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' first two episodes, Dunk is constantly reminded of his status. At first, he can't even enter the tourney because no one remembers his deceased master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). Even entering the tourney would pose a huge risk for Dunk, because if he loses, he'd have to forfeit his armor and horse, and given how little money he has, he'd likely struggle to pay the ransom to get them back. Dunk also struggles to afford proper armor for the tourney, a problem none of the noble knigths face, even selling one of his beloved horses just to afford mail that fits him.
Dunk's position as a hedge knight puts him at a disadvantage going into this tournament that audiences haven't seen in a Westeros TV show before. Given how Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' two predecessors, focus primarily on the noble houses, with even prominent lowborn characters like Ser Davos Seaworth (Liam Cunningham) working with the upper class, issues like being able to afford armor rarely come up.
Dunk becomes hopeful that he might someday rise up through the ranks when he meets Ser Donnel of Duskendale, a knight of the Kingsguard who claims to be the son of a crabber. However, Egg later explains that Ser Donnel's family are hugely wealthy and prominent crabbers, shutting down Dunk's dream once again.
However, "Hard Salt Beef" provides another example of a heroic knight from low birth in plain sight: Florian. While Ser Donnell may not showcase a path to success for Dunk, he, like Florian, can still become an unlikely hero.
Additionally, it is worth noting that Tanselle, who's been painted as a potential love interest for Dunk, is the one who puts Florian on display for him. Could this be a subtle sign that Tanselle will play a more prominent role on screen than she does in the original novella, "The Hedge Knight," perhaps becoming the Jonquil to Dunk's Florian?
Florian in A Song of Ice and Fire
Florian is mentioned a handful of times throughout A Song of Ice and Fire, most prominently in a plotline that is downplayed on Game of Thrones. While suffering Joffrey's abuses, Sansa Stark befriends Ser Dontos Hollard, a knight whose life she convinces Joffrey to spare by making him a fool instead of a head on a spike. In gratitude, Dontos promises to take Sansa home, constantly comparing himself to Florian, and by extension, Sansa to Jonquil.
However, when Sansa learns that Ser Dontos was simply Littlefinger's man, turning her into a pawn in a grand scheme to kill Joffrey, she becomes distraught. From here on out, Sansa must become her own Florian, a hero in her own right and a player in the game herself.
While Sansa, a woman of noble birth, and Dunk, a poor boy hoping to become a knight, may have little in common on paper, their stories both reflect the same theme, that heroes can come from anywhere. Florian the Fool, then, makes for the perfect metephor for Dunk's arc, as well as Sansa's, tying two unlikely characters together.
Make sure to catch new episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms on Sundays at 10:00 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.