A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: HotD & GoT Connection & Timeline, Explained
We are in for one more story with the Targaryens in it.
While House of the Dragon is in full swing, there are still opportunities for Game of Thrones fans to visit Westeros in the future. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight as a new project in the George R. R. Martin universe will be connected to both Game of Thrones and House of the Dragon, and now we will explain how.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Timeline & Story
The events take place approximately ninety years prior to the main saga, A Song of Ice and Fire, in the year 208. The civil war that we will soon be witnessing in House of the Dragon ended 77 years ago.
The main character we will follow is Dunk, a young knight from Flea Bottom.
After burying the hedge knight Arlan of Pennytree, whom he served faithfully as a squire, Dunk goes to a tournament organized by Lord Ashford in honor of his daughter's birthday. It was Duncan's presence that would later make this tournament one of the most famous in the history of Westeros.
On the way, Dunk meets a small boy who asks to be his squire. He introduces himself as Egg, which suits his egg-shaped bald head. Completely ignoring Dunk's refusal, the boy follows him.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' Connection to Game of Thrones
Dunk tries to get his knighthood confirmed for the tournament, and only a chance meeting with the Targaryen family member helps him. Prince Baelor personally vouches for him, and Dunk orders his own shield. He chooses a sunset sky, a green elm tree, and a star falling from the sky.
It is this shield that suggests that Dunk is a distant ancestor of Brienne of Tarth (played by Gwendoline Christie in GoT). In the novel A Feast for Crows, Brienne orders a shield with a design she saw in the armory many years ago when she was a child.
According to the description, the design matches the image on Dunk's sigil – an elm tree and a shooting star against a sunset. It seems that Brienne inherited her height from her Duncan the Tall ancestor.
Before Duncan can get his shield, he gets into a serious conflict with Prince Aerion Targaryen. The prince beats the Dornish puppeteer Tanselle, for which Duncan punches him in the face.
The guards almost kill the hedge knight on the spot, but Egg rushes to his aid and reveals his real name – Aegon Targaryen (yes, another one). Now it becomes clear that he shaved off his blond hair to avoid being recognized as the heir to the throne.
By the way, he is not just some future Targaryen king. He is the father of Aerys, known to us as the Mad King, the grandfather of Daenerys, and the great-grandfather of Jon Snow.
After the battle between Duncan and Aerion, events unfold quickly and harshly. Instead of knightly combat, there is a trial called the Trial of the Seven.