HBO has given a series order to the second Game of Thrones prequel series, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. Notwithstanding Game of Thrones' undignified end, HBO in 2022 brought George R.R. Martin's Fire & Blood to life as the prequel to Game of Thrones drama series. Titled, House of the Dragon, the said series steps back to the time when House Targaryen is at the height of its power and hubris. While HBO's Game of Thrones prefaced the might of the erstwhile Targaryen kings off and on, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, by contrast, requires a deep dive into its subject.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight follows the story of the two Martin characters, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg who traveled throughout Westeros. Duncan is described as "a young, naive but courageous knight," and meanwhile, Egg hides his identity from all those the duo encounter. The upcoming series is set nearly a century before the events of Game of Thrones, meaning it roughly figures between House of the Dragon and Thrones' timeline. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight is executive produced by Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis. Seeing as the series has become the second Game of Thrones prequel and third Game of Thrones project overall, it's imperative to delve into the story of its lead characters, Dunk and Egg.
Who Is The Hedge Knight?
The upcoming prequel is based on the three-part George R. R. Martin novellas, Tales of Dunk and Egg, set in the world of his A Song of Ice and Fire novels. The first Tales of Dunk and Egg novella, titled, The Hedge Knight, delves into the early part of Ser Duncan's life as a wandering knight and his meeting a boy with a shaved head on his way to compete in a tourney at Ashford Meadow. A hedge knight in the Game of Thrones universe is a wandering knight who has no master. Such knights travel throughout the Seven Kingdoms in search of employment. They derive their name from their way of life which, in turn, draws a sharp contrast with the life of the landed knights. Hedge knights' riches are their arms and horses, and they generally must sleep outdoors, often under a hedge.
Dunk is the hedge knight who decides to try out at the Ashford Tourney to make a name and a living for himself. As a matter of fact, most hedge knights are young in age, not seasoned fighters. Dunk, who comes from Flea Bottom, served as a squire to the old hedge knight, Ser Arlan of Pennytree until the latter's death. He was most likely knighted by Ser Arlan on his deathbed, after which he headed to compete in the tourney. Dunk meets a boy with a shaved head and indigo eyes (Egg) at an inn outside a small village near Ashford. Assuming he is a stableboy, Dunk gives him his horses and buys himself dinner. After a while, he sees this stableboy ride his warhorse and orders him to get down. The boy asks to be taken as a squire, but the hedge knight denies it and continues with his journey to Ashford.
Who Is Egg?
It turns out that the boy with a shaved head secretly followed Dunk to Ashford. Impressed by the boy's persistence, Dunk agrees to take him as his squire for the tourney. Dunk is prohibited from entering the tourney without proof of his knighthood, but Prince Baelor Targaryen vouches for him. A series of events later, Egg reveals his true identity, in that, he's Prince Aegon Targaryen, the fourth son of Maekar I. Dunk is offered a position at Summerhall and knighthood by Maekar to train Aegon as his squire. But since Dunk insists Egg learn by braving hardships while traveling across the length and breadth of the Seven Kingdoms (realm located in Westeros in the Game of Thrones universe), the two begin their adventures as knight and squire.
Aegon V ascends the Iron Throne in 233 AC after a Great Council bypasses candidates earlier in the line of succession, and after his elder brother, Maester Aemon (seen on Game of Thrones) abdicates his rights to the throne. The fourth son of Maekar I, King Aegon V aka "Aegon the Unlikely" has a troublesome reign. While hedge knights are often seen as untrustworthy people, Dunk rises through the ranks and becomes the Lord Commander of Aegon V's Kingsguard. In the end, the duo dies in the deadly fire that breaks out in the lightly fortified Targaryen castle of Summerhall in 259 AC. Known as the Tragedy at Summerhall, the great fire is connected to King Aegon V's desire to restore dragons to Westeros. Those who survive the fires at Summerhall never talked about it, and those who perished were King Aegon V of Westeros, his friend and Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, Ser Duncan the Tall, Prince Duncan the Small, and Maester Corso. While Dunk and Egg meet a tragic end, the duo's time of life as a knight and squire is filled with exciting adventures.