Who is Ser Duncan the Tall in “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”?

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for the short stories in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The big picture

• In
  A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
  In the short stories, Dunk starts out in Flea Bottom and aspires to become a knight of the Kingsguard.
• Dunk plays a pivotal role in Targaryen history, defending the common people.
• Ser Duncan becomes a legendary warrior, putting an end to rebellions and continuing to fight into his later years.

House of the DragonThe season finale marks the start of another 2-year wait before the next season, but HBO has given us a sneak peek at a new game of Thrones spin off, A Knight of the Seven Kingdomsto help us get to that moment. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is a collection of short stories published by George R. R. Martin that tells the adventures of a young knight, Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey), a legendary warrior who eventually becomes Lord Commander of the Royal Guard.

After a tragedy during a tournament, Prince Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) asks Dunk to take his youngest son, Egg, (Sole Ansell) under her wing as a squire, hoping her child will learn to live among the common people and avoid the pitfalls of his spoiled brothers. The stories unfold 89 years before the main game of Thrones series and follow our heroes through a war-torn Westeros, in the aftermath of the Blackfyre Rebellion. The story tells us Egg will grow up to become King Aegon V “The Unlikely”, one of the greatest Targaryen Kings story. However, Egg is just a stubborn child and Dunk is a naive and inexperienced knight when the story begins. Each short story tells a singular story but carries an overarching narrative in each installment. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms AND very suitable for the television formatStories work almost like a game of Thrones equivalent of The Mandalorianwhere a Knight Errant wanders the kingdom in search of work, accompanied by his young follower whose secret identity makes him of great value.

Dunk was born an orphan in Flea Bottom

Not much is known about Dunk’s birth. He was an orphan on the streets of Flea Bottom when he was recruited as a squire by an old knight of a lesser house, Ser Arlan of Pennytree (Danny Webb). Arlan and Dunk travel around Westeros in the service of various noble lords such as the Tyrells. Arlan has trained Dunk in sword fighting, and he dreamed of becoming a knight of the Royal Guard from the moment he first picked up a sword. Dunk’s age is estimated to be around 16 at the beginning of the story. But Peter Claffey is currently 28, meaning HBO chose to age him as it has done with many previous characters, such as Jon (Kit Harington), Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), and Arya (Maisie Williams).

We first meet Dunk as he buries Ser Arlan’s body on the way to a tourney at Ashford. Dunk claims that Arlan knighted him before he died, but whether this is true is still a matter of debate. Throughout the story, Dunk’s internal dialogue suggests that he invented this lie to make himself readable for tournaments and service to other lords. This lie haunts him throughout the tales, making him constantly doubt whether he is a worthy warrior.

Dunk plays a pivotal role in the Targaryen history

Dunk is not the most intelligent character. Arlan refers to him as “Dunk the lunk, thick as a castle wall”, a saying Dunk often repeats throughout the story. He is 7 feet tall, rivaling the Mountain (Hafthor Julius Bjornsson) in stature. He is strong, capable, and prioritizes honor above all else. During the tourney at Ashford, he stops Prince Aerion Targaryen (Finn Bennett) from the beating of a defenseless puppeteer named Tanselle (Tanzyn Crawford) and suffers disastrous consequences. Many Targaryen nobles of that time were hideous individuals who flaunted their power. on the common people, especially Prince Aerion. While the rest of the crowd stands by and watches Aerion beat an innocent girl, Dunk steps in, unaware that he is putting his own life in danger. His actions lead to a trial by combat during the tournament, where he must fight against Aerion and his retinue of ferocious warriors. Despite his small stature, Dunk wins the favor of the people by defending the common people against the untouchable nobles. Despite his failures, Dunk has a strong moral compass that prevails in the face of turmoilMany readers compare him to Brienne (Gwendoline Christie) from game of Thronesas he is huge, a skilled swordsman, and a knight who “remembered his vows.”

As the story unfolds, Dunk finds himself increasingly entangled in the Targaryen conspiracy. He plays a key role during the second Blackfyre rebellion in the third short story, The Mysterious KnightFurthermore, several The Targaryens claim to have seen him in their dreams. The Targaryens are known for their gift for prophetic visions, a genetic trait passed down through their lineage. After meeting Daeron the Drunken (Henry Ashton), the Prince accurately predicts Dunk’s fate during the tournament. Later, in The Mysterious KnightDaemon II Blackfyre predicts that Dunk will one day become a knight of the Kingsguard. We know from Westeros histories that Egg will become obsessed with the Targaryen prophecy, which will eventually lead to their demise.

Ser Duncan becomes a renowned knight later in life.

George R.R. Martin claims it will take about 12 stories to tell the complete story of Dunk & Egg, but we know a lot about their later lives from references in the main series and The World of Ice and Fire history book. Dunk will indeed grow up to be a legendary warrior. He killed Daemon III Blackfyre in battle and ended the Fourth Blackfyre Rebellion. Dunk’s historic duel with Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Eng.) is still remembered in modern-day Westeros. After Egg’s son, Prince Duncan the Small, renounced his betrothal to Lyonel’s daughter, he declared himself independent of the Iron Throne and named himself the new Storm King. After a bitter rebellion, he fought the King in a duel, where Dunk stood as Egg’s champion. Lyonel was known as “The Laughing Storm” and was considered one of the finest fighters of his generation. Despite his fame, Dunk prevailed in the duel, thus ending another rebellion. Dunk ultimately lost a fight against a young Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney) during a tournament in his next life. As Barristan grew up to be one of the strongest fighters in game of ThronesIt is a testament to Dunk’s skill that he was only defeated by an immensely skilled warrior in his later years.

While Dunk has accumulated many heroic feats throughout his life, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will present him as a shy, inexperienced boy who must navigate the harsh realities of Westeros after being given a huge responsibility. If the books are any indication, Dunk will likely become a fan favorite for years to come. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms whose premiere is scheduled for early next summer.

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