What Is ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Actually About?

The Big Picture

• The upcoming
  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
  show is based on Dunk and Egg novellas by George R.R. Martin.
• The series takes place 77 years after the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons and follows a knight and his squire, who is a Targaryen.
• Each novella will likely have its own season, with the first season confirmed to have six episodes.

Following House of the Dragon‘s Season 2 finale, Max surprised viewers with a teaser trailer for HBO’s latest Game of Thrones spin-off series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. The teaser is brief, only seven seconds, but gives viewers a look at the titular Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and his squire. However, while exciting, aside from a quick look at some of the key characters, the teaser does not provide much insight into the story. George R.R. Martin has confirmed that HBO currently has a number of spin-offs in development — not limited to Aegon’s Conquest, a series following Aegon I Targaryen’s conquest of Westeros, and The Sea Snake, rumored to be an animated series following a young Corlys Velayron’s legendary Nine Voyages — but the upcoming A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms might already be well-known to some Game of Thrones viewers.

What Is ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ About?

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on a series of novellas by George R.R. Martin, and derives its name from the collection of the first three novellas: The Hedge Knight, The Sworn Sword, and The Mystery Knight — also known as the Tales of Dunk and Egg. The events of the books (and series, presumably) fall right in the middle of Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, taking place 77 years after the beginning of the Dance of the Dragons, and 89 years before the first episode of Game of Thrones. The books follow a hedge knight (a wandering knight not sworn to any one lord) named Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a future legendary member of Aegon V’s Kingsguard, and his squire Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), the future Aegon V, as they travel across Westeros.

The series of novellas is still ongoing — the most recent was published in 2010, and roughly six to 12 novellas are planned to be released. The Dunk and Egg stories serve as a way to explore Westeros in greater depth and detail, elaborate on Aegon V’s reign, and, according to George R.R. Martin, eventually shed light on the great mystery of the Tragedy at Summerhall. The stories begin with Dunk and Egg’s first meeting and will likely continue right up to and including the Tragedy at Summerhall — the night Dunk and Egg both lose their lives, which happens to be the same night Rhaegar Targaryen is born (yes, that Rhaegar Targaryen).

‘The Hedge Knight’ Introduces Dunk and Egg

First published in 1998, The Hedge Knight introduces both Dunk and Egg to readers. After the death of hedge knight Ser Arlan of Pennytree, his honorable squire Dunk takes up his armor and horses, and adopts the name Ser Duncan the Tall. Along the way, he meets a young boy named Egg, and takes him on as his squire, allowing him to accompany him on his way to a tourney at Ashford. After arriving at Ashford, Dunk attempts to enter the tournament but, without proof of his knighthood, is nearly barred until Prince Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel) vouches for him.

Dunk defends a puppeteer, Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford), from being assaulted by Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett), leading to his arrest. Though Egg tries to intervene and defend Dunk, revealing himself to be Prince Aegon Targaryen, Dunk is still punished. To avoid mutilation, Dunk chooses a trial by combat, which then becomes a Trial of Seven. With help from several knights and Prince Baelor himself, Dunk wins the trial at the cost of several lives, including Baelor’s. Guilt-ridden over the prince’s death, Dunk accepts an offer to train Aegon, and the two set out for Dorne.

‘The Sworn Sword’ Goes Into the Blackfyre Rebellions

While The Hedge Knight serves as an introduction to the Dunk and Egg stories, The Sworn Sword provides more information on the Blackfyre Rebellions, a series of rebellions by the legitimized bastards of House Targaryen. The Sworn Sword begins with Dunk, and Egg in tow, sworn to Ser Eustace Osgrey of Standfast in the Reach after returning from Dorne. Dunk and another knight sworn to House Osgrey discover a dam built through a river on Ser Eustace’s land by a rival house, House Webber, leading to a violent altercation. Dunk attempts to reason with the Lady of House Webber, Rohanne, but is informed that Ser Eustance is a traitor to the Crown, having supported the Blackfyres during the rebellions.

Shocked, Duncan leaves Ser Eustace’s service but still tries to fix the conflict the dam has caused. The situation escalates to another trial by combat between Dunk and one of Lady Rohane’s knights, which Dunk narrowly wins. To reconcile their differences, Ser Eustace marries Lady Rohanne, and Dunk and Egg set out with plans to visit the Wall in the North.

‘The Mystery Knight’ Brings in a New Mystery

The Mystery Knight, like The Sworn Sword, further elaborates on the events and aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellions, which will likely play a large part in the future Dunk and Egg novellas, and the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series. Dunk and Egg travel to Winterfell to help the current Lord Stark put down a Greyjoy rebellion, but they encounter a group of knights heading to a tourney at Whitewalls, where a dragon egg is rumored to be the prize. Dunk becomes suspicious of Gormon Peake, a former Blackfyre supporter and, at the tourney, Dunk and Egg realize many competitors are former rebels. Dunk participates in the joust but loses, learning someone bribed his opponent to kill him.

The prize dragon egg is stolen and a knight, Ser Glendon Ball, is falsely accused and imprisoned. Dunk discovers a man named John the Fiddler, the titular Mystery Knight, is Daemon Blackfyre’s son and helps expose the plot. This leads to yet another trial by combat where Ser Glendon defeats Daemon Blackfyre’s son and proves his innocence. Bloodraven, the current Hand of the King, arrives with an army, captures the rebels, and destroys Whitewalls. Dunk and Egg receive rewards, and the dragon egg’s disappearance remains a mystery.

Will ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ Stick to the Books?

Despite the release of the teaser, not much is known about A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, including its release date — the series began filming in Belfast in June 2024, and is predicted to air in the latter half of 2025. It’s likely that each novella will have its own season, with the first season having a confirmed total of six episodes, and, given the short length of each novella, the events of each book will likely need to be expanded on to fill each six-episode season. With A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms over a year away, and House of the Dragon‘s third season expected in 2026, viewers have a long way to go before returning to the world of Westeros.

Both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon are available to stream on Max in the U.S.

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