A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4's dragon dream is an ominous portent of things to come

The latest episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has once again included an ominous portent of the future – and we're here to decode what it might mean.

Below, we've broken down what the dream is in the episode, as well as what it might mean, using George R.R. Martin's extensive lore as our guide. Naturally, that means there are both spoilers for the episode and spoilers for the world of A Song of Ice and Fire ahead. So, if you don't want to read about future events that spoil the fates of major characters in the show, don't read beyond the first section below.

For even more, check out our spoiler-free A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review for our verdict on the entire show.

What is Daeron Targaryen's dream?

Daeron tells Dunk that he dreamed of Dunk, fire, and a dragon – the dragon was dead, and Dunk was alive.

"I have seen you, ser, and a fire, and a dead dragon. A great beast with wings so large they could cover this meadow. It had fallen onto you. But you were alive, and the dragon was dead," Daeron says.

This explains why Daeron didn't want anything to do with Dunk when he first saw him in the inn, after identifying the hedge knight as the man from his dream (yep, Daeron was indeed the drunk man in episode 1).

What does Daeron's dream mean? *Spoilers*

Daeron's dream is particularly sinister. Since the dragon is the sigil and symbol of House Targaryen, it looks like the dream spells doom for the royal family. But, what does it mean?

At the end of this episode, we see Baelor join Dunk's team for the Trial by Seven. In George R.R. Martin's Hedge Knight novella, Baelor is killed defending Dunk. So, Daeron's dream is correct: the dragon falls, and Dunk survives.

But, there could be an even darker meaning to this dream, too. Baelor's death means that the succession changes, and his son, Valarr, is next in line for the throne instead of Baelor.

However, the king, Valarr, and his younger brother all die in the Great Spring Sickness (the very same year as the tourney seen in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms), and, as Valarr had no sons, the throne reverts to Baelor and Maekar's brother, Aerys. From Aerys, Maekar ultimately inherits the throne, and this is how Egg eventually becomes king, despite not being in the line of succession during A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

Egg himself ultimately perishes in the Tragedy at Summerhall, a terrible fire potentially caused by Egg attempting to bring dragons back from extinction (referenced in the prophecy from episode 3). The same fire also kills Dunk. Rhaegar Targaryen, however, is born the same day – Rhaegar is the older brother of Daenerys Targaryen, and it's Rhaegar whom Robert Baratheon kills during his rebellion. With Rhaegar's death and Jaime Lannister slaying the Mad King (who is the grandson of Egg), the Targaryen dynasty falls.

So, the wheels are already in motion to bring about the end of House Targaryen's lengthy reign. How is this connected to Dunk? Well, Baelor dies defending Dunk, which triggers the succession shake-up that results in Egg becoming king. You could easily make the argument that, if Baelor had lived, this might not have happened. Maybe Valarr wouldn't have contracted the Spring Sickness if he hadn't been king, as he could have been far away from King's Landing; the densely populated capital had the highest mortality rate. That means he also might have lived long enough to have surviving children, too, after his sons were stillborn.

That would mean Dunk is the one who – inadvertently and through no fault of his own – set the doom of House Targaryen into motion.

That's just one interpretation of the dream, of course, but it's the one that makes sense to us. Poor Duncan the Tall…

You can keep up with our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule, or see our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and shows for everything else that's in the works.