What Does Everyone on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Get Up to Next?

Unlike Game of Thrones, the source material for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is already complete. George R.R. Martin intends to write nine more “Tales of Dunk and Egg” stories, but only after he finishes The Winds of Winter. Fortunately, the next two books that will likely inspire the new HBO series are available now. This means anyone curious about what happens to characters like Dunk and Egg after the first season can find out without waiting for new installments – spoilers are readily available!

Fans are in a bit of a tricky situation. The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms was based on The Hedge Knight, but its characters don’t appear in the following two stories, The Sworn Sword and The Mystery Knight. This creates a challenge for season two. Viewers enjoyed seeing Daniel Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon and are curious about Maekar Targaryen’s future, especially after his son ran off. The question is whether season two will closely follow The Sworn Sword like season one did The Hedge Knight, meaning a completely new cast of characters. Or will the show find ways to bring those familiar faces back through flashbacks or by expanding the story to other locations? However, adding those elements could change the feel of the show, which many appreciated for its focused, smaller-scale story. If the season constantly cuts away to other parts of Westeros, will it still feel like A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?

Basically, a post revealing what happens to these characters might not actually spoil the show. This information comes from future novellas and the book A World of Ice and Fire, which explains the history of the show’s world. Here’s a summary of what happens to the characters from season one. For everyone except Dunk and Egg, this could be the last we see of them, so think of this as a final update on their stories.

Be aware that learning about Dunk and Egg’s future has significant consequences, although details of what happens to them don’t really affect the second and third novellas – just a few clues are dropped along the way. Their importance in the history of Westeros was already known before the TV series Game of Thrones.

Aegon V Targaryen, a.k.a. Egg

The next two stories follow Dunk and Egg as they resolve a disagreement between lords over a blocked river in the Reach, and then uncover a plot to restart an old rebellion during a tournament in the Riverlands. After these adventures, Egg unexpectedly fulfills the fortune teller’s prediction from episode three and becomes king.

Egg wasn’t expected to become king – he was a fourth son of a fourth son. A series of unexpected deaths and events led to him taking the throne, earning him the nickname “Aegon the Unlikely.” After Baelor died in a duel with his brother Maekar, Aerys became the heir and eventually king when Daeron II passed away. However, Aerys died without children, and both Rhaegel and Baelor’s sons also died. This made Maekar king, but when his two eldest sons died, a council was convened to choose the next ruler. They ultimately chose Egg, because his brother Aemon had taken vows as a maester and refused to give them up. (Interestingly, that same Aemon was the kind maester who befriended Jon Snow in Game of Thrones!)

Aegon was popular with common people because he’d lived among them as a young squire. However, he often clashed with other royals, who felt he was too comfortable with those of lower status. As king, he spent much of his time suppressing rebellions and raising his three children – Duncan, Jaehaerys, and Daeron – and two daughters, Shaera and Rhaelle – with his wife, Betha Blackwood, a noblewoman from the Riverlands. His children caused him considerable difficulty: Duncan disobeyed him by marrying a commoner instead of the daughter of Lyonel Baratheon, Jaehaerys and Shaera engaged in an incestuous relationship typical of the Targaryen family, and Daeron was killed in battle.

Aegon was generally considered a good king, particularly for a Targaryen. However, his life and rule ended in disaster. As he aged, he became fixated on bringing dragons back, believing they could help him suppress the numerous rebellions he faced. After more than 25 years as king, Aegon and his companion, Dunk, died in a devastating fire at Summerhall, the Targaryen family’s summer palace. It appears they were attempting a dangerous ritual to hatch dragon eggs. (A character in an earlier episode hinted at this event, and also suggested his death wouldn’t be universally mourned, possibly foreshadowing a troubling future for Aegon’s heir that hasn’t been shown yet.) This happened fifty years after the events of the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Jaehaerys became king after him, and his son, Aerys II—later known as the Mad King—followed.

Could he appear in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Obviously.

Duncan the Tall, a.k.a. Dunk

While details about Dunk’s life after the novellas are scarce – the stories naturally focus more on the king than his knight – we still know quite a bit about what he did. After years of traveling across Westeros with Egg, Dunk remained loyal when Egg became king. He accompanied Maester Aemon to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea as Aemon joined the Night’s Watch, wanting to avoid being used in political schemes. Eventually, Dunk became a member of the Kingsguard and fought in several wars for the crown.

When Prince Duncan, son of Aegon, unexpectedly chose to marry a commoner instead of the daughter of Lyonel Baratheon as planned, it caused a rift with his longtime friend. Lyonel, known as the Laughing Storm, led a brief uprising against the throne, but the conflict was resolved when Dunk and Lyonel fought a one-on-one duel, which Dunk ultimately won. It was a difficult fight between former friends.

Ser Duncan the Tall, known as Dunk, eventually rose to become the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard, serving with honor and skill. Despite his abilities, he wasn’t invincible – a young Barristan Selmy defeated him in a tournament when Barristan was only sixteen. Dunk died with his king during the tragic events at Summerhall, but his family line continued. Author George R.R. Martin has revealed that Brienne of Tarth is one of Dunk’s descendants, though the exact connection between them remains a mystery.

Will we see him in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? It certainly seems likely, considering he’s the main knight in the Nine Kingdoms!

Lyonel “The Laughing Storm” Baratheon

Lyonel Baratheon quickly became a fan favorite in the first season of A Knight of the Kingdoms, and later rose to become Lord of Storm’s End. He and King Aegon were initially close allies, but their relationship soured when Aegon’s son married a common woman named Jenny of Oldstones instead of one of Lyonel’s daughters. This was a significant offense to Lyonel, as he believed his family’s honor had been slighted. He launched a rebellion, which was ultimately crushed when Dunk – the same hedge knight he’d befriended and supported decades earlier in a famous tournament – defeated him in a duel. It’s a striking twist of fate, especially considering Lyonel invited Dunk to live with him at Storm’s End in the season finale, offering him a brotherly connection.

Though Lyonel faced a trial, he kept his position as Lord of Storm’s End. King Aegon tried to repair the damage and bring peace back to the kingdom, and as part of that effort, he sent his youngest daughter, Rhaelle Targaryen, to Storm’s End. She served as a companion and cupbearer to Lyonel’s wife, and eventually married Lyonel’s son, Ormund Baratheon. Their grandson was Robert Baratheon, the future king whose rebellion would ultimately bring an end to the Targaryen rule.

Will we see Lyonel again in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? It seems unlikely he’ll appear in season two, as his next significant role in the story takes place almost thirty years after the events of the first season. However, Daniel Ings was so good in the part that fans are hoping the show finds a way to include him. Many viewers would love to see more scenes of Dunk and Lyonel interacting as friends before their eventual conflict.

Maekar Targaryen

While many expected Maekar Targaryen’s brother, Baelor, to be a great king, Maekar’s reign wasn’t bad either. After their father, Daeron II, passed away, Maekar served under his brother, King Aerys I, before eventually becoming king himself. He ruled during a relatively peaceful time, despite ongoing conflicts caused by the Blackfyres – a family of Targaryen relatives who had been given land and titles. However, Maekar died in battle – struck by a falling rock while attacking a castle during the Peake Uprising, a small rebellion led by supporters of the Blackfyres. Because his two oldest sons had already died, the throne passed to his fourth son, who became King Aegon the Unlikely.

Will we see Maekar in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? While he isn’t in the original stories, he’s one of the more likely characters to reappear. The show added a scene after the credits revealing Maekar didn’t initially approve of Dunk becoming Egg’s squire—something not stated in the book. Later stories confirm Egg did eventually get official permission from the crown. Plus, Egg secretly carries a ring bearing Maekar’s crest, which they could use to prove Egg’s Targaryen heritage if needed. Therefore, it wouldn’t be a stretch to see a new scene where Maekar meets Dunk and Egg and gives them the ring.

Daeron Targaryen

Daeron Targaryen, nicknamed “The Drunken,” was the oldest brother of Egg and the one who left with him, starting the adventures told in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He spent much of his life drinking at Summerhall and experiencing prophetic dreams about dragons. He had a daughter named Vaella, who was known for being kind but not very bright. Daeron died before he could become king, succumbing to an illness he contracted from a prostitute.

Will Daeron “The Drunken” be in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? Most fans don’t seem to be asking for his return. He wasn’t a major character, and unless the show decides to focus heavily on prophecies like House of the Dragon did, there’s no clear reason to bring him back.

Aerion Targaryen

Aerion, often called Aerion the Monstrous (though he liked to be known as Aerion Brightflame), went to the Free City of Lys across the Narrow Sea at his father’s urging. This came after the tourney depicted in the first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. Maekar hoped the time away would help his son’s terrible behavior. However, Aerion eventually returned and fought in the Third Blackfyre Rebellion, serving King Aerys I. He married his cousin and had a son named Maegor. Interestingly, the only other Maegor in the Targaryen family was King Maegor the Cruel, a notoriously awful ruler from almost 200 years prior. Naming his son after such a cruel king doesn’t seem promising.

Aerion Targaryen met a spectacularly fiery end. The year his son was born, he foolishly drank a cup of wildfire, convinced it would turn him into a dragon. As recounted in the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, he believed he was a dragon trapped in a human body. Sadly, it didn’t transform him – it just killed him in agonizing pain as he burned from the inside. Most viewers of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms probably weren’t very sympathetic to his fate.

Will we see him in a later season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? It’s unlikely, as he’s currently located in Lys, which is across the Narrow Sea.

Raymun Fossoway

After Raymun Fossoway was knighted at the tournament where he encountered Dunk, his fate isn’t recorded. However, he did establish a new branch of House Fossoway. While his relatives use a red apple as their symbol, Raymun’s branch, known as the Fossoways of New Barrel, adopted a green apple. Throughout the A Song of Ice and Fire series, we occasionally see minor characters identified as “green-apple Fossoways.” It’s quite a legacy for Raymun, even if the last episode suggests his wife is being unfaithful.

Will Raymun appear in a future season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? It’s possible! The show could add a scene in season two where he travels from the Reach to wherever Dunk and Egg are, perhaps to sell apple cider. He mentions wanting to start his own cider-making business, so that could be a way to bring him into the story.

Tanselle

There was this amazing puppeteer, a Dornish woman, who Dunk fell for during his travels. He really risked it all to protect her from Aerion’s cruelty, but George R.R. Martin hasn’t brought her back into the story yet, at least not so far. We learn in The Sworn Sword that Dunk and Egg spent a lot of time wandering around Dorne, catching puppet shows, but he never ran into her again, which was a real bummer for him. He’s still thinking about her in the third novella, but he’s pretty much accepted that he’s not going to find her, even though he secretly hoped he would.

I remember when George R.R. Martin was at a comic con back in 2016. Someone asked him about Tanselle, and he said there was a pretty good chance she’d show up in one of the future Dunk and Egg stories. Of course, those books haven’t been written yet, so we still don’t know what will ultimately happen to her, which is both exciting and frustrating!

Will Tanzyn Crawford, who plays Tanselle, appear in season two of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? It’s very possible! Dunk often remembers Tanselle in the books, suggesting we might see her in flashbacks or dreams. While a full appearance seems unlikely, showrunner Ira Parker has said George R.R. Martin has provided enough material for many future seasons, so Tanselle could definitely be part of a future storyline.

Steely Pate

Steely Pate isn’t seen in any of the other Dunk and Egg stories, and he’s not mentioned in the historical record of Westeros found in A World of Ice and Fire—which isn’t unexpected. Interestingly, Dunk is still wearing the same good quality steel armor in the third story.

Is there a chance he could show up in a later season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms? While he isn’t part of the original novellas, it wouldn’t be difficult to rewrite his story to make him a traveling blacksmith that Dunk could cross paths with again.

2026-02-23 07:00