A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 6 trailer sparks ‘conflicting’ book change debate

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The sixth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be the season finale, and HBO has released a new trailer offering a sneak peek. The trailer includes a scene that suggests the show might significantly differ from the source material, George R.R. Martin’s Dunk and Egg story.

The fifth episode of the Game of Thrones prequel was the most-watched episode so far. It began with a look into the past, showing the history of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), and then quickly moved into the intense events of the Trial of Seven.

The conflict ends with a win for Dunk’s group when Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) drops his charges. However, a shocking event follows the fight – Baelor (Bertie Carvel) is found to have suffered a deadly injury.

I’m really looking forward to the finale of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms! It sounds like it’s going to be pretty emotional, dealing with the fallout from that big fight and, sadly, Baelor’s funeral. I’m especially curious to see what happens with Dunk and Egg – Dexter Sol Ansell is fantastic in the role! Just a heads-up though, if you’ve read the books, be warned there might be some spoilers!

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms finale trailer hints at major book change

Okay, so the trailer for Episode 6 was intense! Maekar asks Dunk if he’ll take Egg on as a squire, but Dunk basically says he’s had enough of dealing with royalty – he straight-up says, “I think I’m done with princes.” Then it cuts to Egg, looking all regal in his Targaryen clothes, and he tells Dunk, “Maybe you’re not the knight I thought you were.” Talk about a cliffhanger! I’m really curious to see how Dunk and Egg will react to each other after this.

Fans now believe the A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms series will feature a major conflict between Dunk and Egg, a storyline that wasn’t present in George R.R. Martin’s original story.

Throughout The Hedge Knight, Dunk consistently accepts Egg and never questions their continued companionship after the trial. When Maekar suggests they travel together, Dunk agrees, but only if they maintain a life of wandering.

Fans on the show’s subreddit have expressed mixed feelings about Dunk’s hesitation regarding Egg, but are waiting to see how this develops in the story.

It’s understandable why this is happening, but it also feels like it could create unnecessary conflict. Egg has always been incredibly loyal to Dunk, and their dynamic is very similar – Dunk himself has even pointed out how much Egg reminds him of a younger version of himself.

“I’m hoping it’s just a retread of his warning that Egg will have a hard life on the road.”

Someone mentioned the upcoming show will include a storyline where Dunk is hesitant to take on Egg as his squire. This is a departure from the original story, where Dunk was always willing to care for the boy while traveling as a knight, and simply explained his preference to Maekar.

Some people aren’t sure the trailer means the story will change drastically. One person suggested it seems more like a character deciding they’re finished with royal life, and if someone wants to be their assistant, they’ll have to embrace a simpler, traveling lifestyle – even living outdoors.

Someone else agreed, saying they hoped that would be the case. They explained that if he had to tutor Egg at court, he’d be forced to interact with both Aerion and Valarr. It’s clear why he’d want to avoid Aerion in particular.

He’d likely feel too guilty to live with Valarr, Maekar, and the Daerons, because he blames himself for Baelor’s death – even though he wasn’t actually responsible. He’s convinced it was his fault.

A reader pointed out that in the books, Maekar invites Dunk to join the Summerhall guard, and Egg would be his assistant.

They guessed the deal would be something like, “He can be your helper, but you’ll answer to me at Summerhall.” They thought it was a way to create buzz after the trailer was released.

Lyonel Baratheon’s speech & funeral scene spark discussion

The brief pause from Dunk isn’t the only moment from the trailer getting fans buzzing. Many are also discussing a heated line delivered by Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings) to Dunk, where he accuses Baelar of fighting for him while risking absolutely nothing, considering he was going against people who were supposed to be protecting him.

As a huge fan of ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ I totally cracked up when Lyonel said that thing about Baelor – you know, how no one would dare try to kill him during the trial. It’s wild because fans like me have been debating that exact point for years! It felt so good to hear it acknowledged in the show.

Okay, so the book finally explains what happened with Baelor – it wasn’t what everyone thought! It was actually an accident, and Lyonel was trying to get that across to Dunk. It reminded me of that scene with Robert Baratheon wanting to compete in the tournament, and Ned Stark pointing out how no one would dare actually try to beat him – it’s like no one wanted to risk upsetting the king!

During the trial, no one would truly fight against Baelor. The kingsguard wouldn’t use their full strength against the heir, and Maekar wouldn’t try to harm his brother. Daeron couldn’t, or wouldn’t, and Steffon wouldn’t risk damaging his family’s reputation by attacking Baelor.

Okay, so that leaves Aerion, and honestly, he’s probably got enough of a nasty streak to actually try something. But he’ll be too busy obsessing over Dunk to really focus on anything else. Which means anyone Baelor fights in the trial isn’t going to be trying to kill him, thankfully. They’ll fight to make him give up, but even then, they’ll pull their punches, you know?

Baelor was only present as a placeholder, to balance things out. He never imagined he was in any danger.

Someone commented on a clip featuring Lyonel from the Episode 6 trailer, saying they didn’t understand his point about Baelor. Another user suggested Lyonel might be trying to reassure Dunk that he wasn’t responsible for Baelor’s death.

Someone else pointed out that Lyonel is attempting to tell Dunk that Baelor might be dead, but he didn’t act bravely to save him because he didn’t anticipate any danger. It seems like Lyonel is trying to comfort Dunk by suggesting Baelor didn’t realize how serious the situation was.

I’ve been reading a lot about that funeral scene, and one line really stuck with me. Valarr Targaryen – Oscar Morgan plays him, and he’s fantastic – says to Dunk, “He had it in him to be a great king. Why would the gods take him and leave you?” It’s such a powerful moment, and it really makes you think.

Fans had previously seen glimpses of Valarr in promotional images for the popular TV show, but this is the first clear look at his profile – and it confirms a detail from the books: a white streak in his hair. One fan playfully noted, “So Valarr did have the stripe! It was just hidden all along, that clever character.”

I saw someone wondering if that older couple at the funeral could be Daeron the Good and Myriah Martell! It doesn’t really fit, but honestly, it would be amazing to see King Daeron show up somehow.

“It has to be, right? He’s standing next to the royal family and dressed regally,” added a third. 

Someone rightly pointed out that Daeron is currently meant to be in King’s Landing, meaning it would take at least a week or two to travel to the funeral – and that’s if they even knew about it in advance and were prepared to leave immediately. It’s more likely the attendees are simply a well-known noble family.

The sixth episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will be available on HBO and HBO Max on February 22nd, so we’ll find out then what happens next.

While we wait for more news, I’ve been digging into what’s coming up in the Game of Thrones universe! I found all the details on that Jon Snow spinoff everyone’s talking about, plus everything we know so far about Season 3 of House of the Dragon. And if you haven’t seen it yet, I also figured out how to watch ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ completely free – you definitely don’t want to miss that!

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2026-02-16 14:20