By: Kelly Kearney
A century before “Game of Thrones,” two mismatched travelers wander Westeros in search of a purpose. Based on George R. R. Martin’s novella The Hedge Knight, the series “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” introduces fans to the brave but naive Ser Duncan the Tall and his tiny, sharp-tongued squire, Egg, as they prepare for the yearly Tournament of Knights. The series, set in an age when the Targaryens still hold the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has yet to fade, this unlikely duo faces trials that will shape their futures, settle their pasts, and test their bond beyond Knight and Squire.
A Self-Titled Knight
We begin with a burial. A tall twenty-something squire (Peter Claffey) stands in a rainy mountain landscape, digging a grave and delivering a eulogy for his fallen knight. He allows himself one tear for the man who “never beat me unless I deserved it,” then starts plotting his future with the only listeners he has left: his inherited horses. Maybe he’ll join the city watch, protecting maidens from evil men. Or maybe, with the knight’s sword in his hand–a perfect fit, he could prove himself at the Knight’s jousting tournament at Ashford Meadow.
Before any of that; however, nature calls in spectacular fashion, requiring what feels like an entire roll of toilet paper and a strong stomach for the viewers. The crude humor lightens the mood in a way most “Game of Thrones” fans might not expect. It tells us this young man is rough around the edges and follies and fails await him on whichever path he choose.
That night, he and his three horses arrive at a town tavern. He hands the reins to a young, hairless servant boy (Dexter Sol Ansell) who is far from sure he wants the mucky job. After being promised a copper coin or a punch to the ear if he refuses, the boy reluctantly agrees, sending the strapping young man inside to search for food and rest. He orders everything on the menu, duck and roasted lamb included, then asks about the distance to Ashford Meadow. The innkeeper clocks him as a knight headed for the tournament and tells him it’s a day’s ride away, adding she hopes her son is taking good care of his horses. Across the room, a drunken lord Daeron Targaryen (Henry Ashton) stumbles to his feet, points at the newly knighted man and claims he dreamed of him, and then warns him to stay away. No worries there, the Lord staggers upstairs to sleep off his drinks as the young Knight finishes his meal. With a belly full of meat, the knight steps outside to find the innkeeper’s son wearing his late master’s armor and sitting atop his warhorse. He orders the boy down but it’s clear there’s no malice in the knight, even if the boy’s tongue is as sharp as the blade at the young man’s waist.Once an apology is offered, the boy continues to prove his fearlessness by pointing out that this man with three horses doesn’t look like a knight. What kind of knight uses a rope as a belt? The young man replies calmly that he’s every bit a knight as those in shining armor. As they spar verbally, we learn the innkeeper isn’t really the boy’s mother, he’s an orphan, and that is a revelation that strikes a chord because the knight was one too. When an elderly knight dies, his squire steps up, but there’s no empty rung below them to fill the void. This boy would make a fine squire and he knows it. That’s why he begs to tag along to the tournament, but the knight refuses even when doubt lingers on his face. It doesn’t help that this kid is as observant as he is mouthy and points out how, “Every knight needs a squire. You may be more than most.” For now, the duo isn’t meant to be. The knight flips him a coin and rides off alone, but from the look on his face, leaving the boy behind weighs on him. Somehow, these two will cross paths again, that feels inevitable.
Proving Himself Worthy of the Title
At Ashford he makes his way to the master of games (Tom Vaughan Lawlor) and learns this is not a tourney but a competition of Lords and knights. The master questions his status, once again judging by his shabby attire. That’s when the young knight introduces himself as Dunk, then corrects it to Ser Dunk, former squire to Ser Arlan of Pennytree. To prove it, he presents Arlan’s sword, bearing the family crest, but none of this is convincing. The master has orders to block commoners from entering the games and this guy–aside from his height and mass, looks as common as anyone he would find in the streets of Ashford. Royals will compete and reputations are on the line.
Dunk, facing nothing but roadblocks, turns to leave, until the crest on his back catches the master’s eye. He asks if anyone can vouch for him, having never heard of Arlan of Pennytree. Dunk remembers who his knight once served: House Dondarrion, and his son, the young Ser Manfred, will be present at the competition. Manfred knew Arlan as his father’s knight, and if Dunk can secure a voucher from him in person, the master will allow him to compete. Dunk leaves happily, promptly smacking his head on the doorframe. He is a bit of a naive doof, and he will have to toughen up if he plans on winning the prize and earning his title.
Next, he approaches Ser Manfred’s tent, crowded with laughing women–the Lord’s wenches. They mock him, wondering if he’s a sad hedge knight, the kind who sleeps in bushes because no lord will have him. They tease him about his sword skills and his manhood, and then tell him to come back later, when their lord is awake. Dunk storms off with his horse, grumbling about being called a hedge knight when Ser Arlan always said that was the best kind to be. His horse neighs in agreement as Dunk vows they’ll all see what kind of knight he is when he wins, along with the coin and horses that come with it.
His first real test arrives when Ser Steffon Fossoway (Edward Ashley) challenges him to a duel after beating down his own cousin Raymun (Shaun Thomas), claiming the boy isn’t ripe for the games. Dunk is massive, tall and broad-shouldered, and his pauper clothes make him an easy target for the bully who spotted him leaving Donarrion’s women. Dunk turns Fossoway down after being labeled a hedge knight again, and instead, he seeks privacy in the woods, washing himself and his rank clothes in a stream.
At sunset, he returns to Manfred’s tent, only to be told the knight is asleep with gouty toes. Dunk politely expresses sympathy but insists on speaking with him about something urgent. The women mock him again and he gets no closer to his voucher. Eventually, the wenches soften, warning him that many young men pass through to join the tourney and most leave broken. You only get one body, they remind him. Big or not, it won’t save him in battle if he doesn’t measure up to the skill’s of his opponents. Dunk appreciates their concern but ignores it.
He watches a local performance, mooning over a Dornish puppeteer/actress, Tansel TooTall (Tanzyn Crawford) battling a dragon, then meets Fossoway’s cousin and squire for a meal back at the tavern.
Over food and wine, he spots Lord Lyonel Baratheon (Daniel Ings), whom the squire says earned the moniker of “The Laughing Storm.” The stories are bigger than the man himself, but his laughter fills the room as much as his royal presence. When Baratheon commands the room, by slurring through a speech about the history of the joust, he offers up one hundred pieces of gold to “the man who sticks me best.” The room erupts in cheers, as an eager Dunk digs into a leg of lamb and watches as the other competitors drink and dance the night away.
“The Luck is Ours Alone?”
While eating his way through the buffet, Dunk catches Baratheon’s eye. The lord summons the awkward knight to his table and fires off a series of uncomfortable questions Dunk can barely answer. Did he bring a gift? No. Is he here to kill him? Also no. What kind of name is Dunk, and why is he slouching “like a maiden on her wedding night?” Dunk’s blunt replies only delight Baratheon more, who is already past his wine limit and can’t help but burst into roaring laughter.
When Dunk admits he only came for supper, he ends up dragged into an offbeat dance that turns into a duel of feet. Baratheon tests his speed by chasing him around the floor, trying to stomp on his boots. Dunk proves surprisingly quick, making the lord look like a madman flailing across the room. When Dunk finally stomps back, pinning Baratheon’s foot under his oversized boot, the music screeches to a halt and everyone waits for the reaction. It comes in riotous laughter. A friendship between the Lord and the shabby knight sparks instantly. They shove each other playfully and spin in circles as the crowd cheers them on. After their impromptu performance, they collapse at a table to rest as Baratheon reminisces about old battles and the danger Dunk is stepping into. He may be big and fast, Baratheon noticed, but so are the others he will face off. Drunkenly, the lord tells him he has no real chance of winning, though proving himself still counts for something. Unfortunately, he has no choice but to win as he does not have the coin to buy back the horses on the line if he loses.What’s a knight without a horse? Not one worth his name or sword. Baratheon has no answers to settle Dunk’s questioning and worried mind. Instead, he staggers away, leaving Dunk worried about the joust he’s signed up for.
As Baratheon exits, Dunk spots Manfred (Daniel Monks) with the women from earlier. He reminds the lord of his knight’s service to Manfred’s father,but the distracted lord doesn’t remember and turns to leave. Even when Dunk mentions that Ser Arlan of Pennytree once took a wound for his House. Manfred shrugs it off, saying he’s forgotten men who suffered far worse. Full of disappointment, Dunk pleads that he can’t compete without a royal voucher, and he had hoped House Dondarrion would be kind enough to back him. Unfortunately, Manfred remains unmoved and walks away.
Out of options, Dunk heads for the woods to sleep, where he finds the boy from earlier, sitting by a fire cooking a fish under the clothes Dunk stashed after washing them. The boy washed them again and hung them to dry, but how did he find him? The boy proudly admits he followed Dunk by hiding in the back of a lamb cart. Annoyed, Dunk tells him to go home, but the kid refuses,as he’s determined to be a squire and won’t be pushed around. Pint-sized and hairless or not, he’s on a mission. When Dunk threatens to toss him over his horse and drag him back home, the boy points out he’d miss the tournament if he did that because he would be riding all over Westeros to King’s Landing. Dunk assumes the kid must be from Flea Bottom, though book fans know that couldn’t be further from the truth. He washed his clothes, built a fire and cooked dinner. This boy is resourceful and capable, and might make a decent companion after all.
The boy asks if Dunk is short for Ser Duncan and the man hesitates, and then says yes, Ser Duncan the Tall. The kid casually admits he’s never heard of him. When Dunk asks if he knows every knight in the Seven Kingdoms, the boy replies, “All the good ones.” We then learn this precocious kid is named Egg and with that introduction Ser Duncan the Tall agrees to let Egg serve him for the tournament, though he promises nothing beyond that. If Egg proves himself, Dunk will feed him, clothe him and only beat him if he deserves it. For a boy his size, that’s the best deal he’s likely to get. Egg beams, his pale face glowing, and thanks his new lord for the chance to serve him. Dunk quickly corrects him. He’s no lord. “I’m only a hedge knight.”
That night they sleep under the open sky and spot a falling star. Egg says it’s good luck. He explains that while the other knights stare at silk tent ceilings and inn rafters, they missed the spectacle they got to witness. Duncan tells him to be quiet but then wonders if that star means, “The luck is ours alone?” Egg doesn’t answer but smiles knowing he offered Duncan the hedge knight, sleeping beneath the luck he’ll need to win the tournament, a bit of hope.