A new Game of Thrones prequel series called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuts just around the corner. The show is lighter in tone than either Game of Thrones or the spinoff House of the Dragon, which are both big sprawling affairs with dozens of characters and sweeping conflicts. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is mostly about one guy trying to win a tournament, and that change of pace might be just what the franchise needs.
But just because this show has fewer characters than fans are used to doesn’t mean you might not need some help. There’s also one particular character we’ll save for the end of the list, but don’t read about them unless you want to be spoiled!
Ser Duncan the Tall and Egg
Aka Dunk and Egg
The main character in our story is Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a newly minted knight trying to make a name for himself by winning a tourney at Ashford Meadow, in the Reach. He may not have been in many battles, he may mostly sleep outside, and he may use a length of rope for a belt, but he’s got a heart of gold and eyes on the prize. Also, he’s 6’5″ (7’0″ in the books) and that’s gotta count for something, especially when your job involves a lot of fighting. Author George R.R. Martin has confirmed that Dunk is an ancestor of Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones, another very tall, very chivalrous knight.
He also has Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell), a precocious kid that Dunk meets by chance at an inn. Egg insists on accompanying Dunk to the tourney as his squire, and Dunk is given no choice but to relent when the boy won’t leave him alone.
Dunk, if you couldn’t guess, is a poor commoner, unusual for a show set in the Game of Thrones universe. Egg keeps his past mostly to himself.
Ser Arlan of Pennytree
The dearly departed
Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb) is an elderly knight (in Westeros, that means he’s in his late 50s) who picks Dunk out of obscure poverty in King’s Landing and takes him on as a squire, leading him all over the Seven Kingdoms on this job or that, and teaching him how to fight like a knight.
Literally, the first thing that happens in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is Dunk burying Ser Arlan’s body by a tree, so it’s really a spoiler to say that he dies. His shadow stretches over the story, though.
Aerion, Baelor, and Maekar Targaryen
Targaryens sans dragons
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place about 100 years before Game of Thrones, when the blonde-haired Targaryen family is still in control of Westeros, but after all their dragons have died out. A few of them show up to the tourney, including, from left to right:
- Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett): Nicknamed Aerion Brightflame, this young prince is an entitled sadist. If this season has a villain, it’s him.
- Baelor Targaryen (Bertie Carvel): The sensible one in the family, Baelor is a renowned warrior and even-tempered guy whose father is the king. He’s next in line to the Iron Throne.
- Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) is Baelor’s older brother, and not quite as regal or well-spoken. You get the idea that there are some sour grapes that he’s not next in line for the throne instead.
- Daeron Targaryen: We don’t have any pictures of Maekar’s son Daeron “the Drunken” Targaryen, but keep an eye out for him. He’ll probably be doing what he’s famous for.
Tanselle
Aka Tanselle Too-Tall
Back to the commoners, Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) is a puppeteer from Dorne, at the tourney putting on shows for the crowds. She’s also a painter. With that nickname, she might be a match for Duncan Way-Too-Tall.
Lyonel Baratheon
The Laughing Storm
Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) is an ancestor of Robert, Stannis, and Renly Baratheon from Game of Thrones. He has the most in common with Robert: he’s a mercurial lord who likes to dance, laugh, drink, and fight. He’ll get to do all of that before the season is over.
Ser Steffon Fossoway and Raymun Fossoway
The apple boys
We heard about many noble houses on Game of Thrones — House Tarly, House Tully, etc. — but never met any Fossoways. We do on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, since the tourney draws lords and commoners alike. There’s Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley), an anointed knight who’s also a bit of a smug jerk; and his cousin Raymun Fossoway (Shaun Thomas), who has to serve as Ser Steffon’s squire and hates every minute of it.
The Fossoway sigil is an apple. Which of these guys is ripe and which rotten?
Steely Pate
Call the blacksmith!
There are also plenty of people who, like Tanselle, are at the tourney to work, not to compete. Steely Pate the armorer (Youssef Kerkour) is one of them. Unlike all these fancy lords, he’s not related to anyone you know.
Okay, it’s time to talk about that one last character. Here’s your last chance to avoid SPOILERS BELOW!
Aegon V Targaryen
No one expects baldness
Alright, if you’re still here, I’ll divulge one of the big secrets we probably won’t learn until about halfway through the series, but which you can find out by picking up the Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas: Egg isn’t actually just some random orphan boy who decides to become Dunk’s squire. He’s actually the youngest son of Maekar Targaryen, brother to Aerion and Daeron Targaryen, and distantly in line for the Iron Throne. He shaves his head to get rid of his distinctive Targaryen locks and skips out on his family for a while to play at being a squire to a hedge knight, but Dunk won’t learn that for a while.
Aegon is related to a bunch of characters from Game of Thrones. His brother is Aemon Targaryen, who eventually goes to the Wall and meets Jon Snow when he’s a very old man. He’s also the great-grandfather of Daenerys Targaryen and the great-great-grandfather of Jon Snow himself, so this guy ends up being pretty important to the history of the Seven Kingdoms, even if he’s just a bratty kid when we meet him here.
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The great bald hope
I have high hopes for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Not only does the new tone look refreshing, but HBO is already working on a second season, meaning we won’t have to wait an eternity before we get new episodes, a problem that plagues a lot of shows these days, but which few can get away with. Plus, it looks like it’s sticking very close to George R.R. Martin’s source material, which is always a good sign.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms debuts on HBO on Sunday, January 18
