A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 explained: What is a trial of 7?

There are only two episodes left of Game of Thrones spin-off A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and the combat has only just begun.

Now that Egg's true identity has been revealed and Dunk is in a whole heap of trouble for doing the right thing... things are heating up at a fast pace, and we're worried for the fate of our favorite Hedge Knight. The trial of seven is set to commence in episode 5, and we've explained the ins and outs below... and confirmed whether or not Daeron is basically psychic.

It goes without saying that there are spoilers for A Knight of Seven Kingdoms episode 4 below, as well book spoilers.For more, check out our guide to all the upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows.

What is a trial of 7?

In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4, Dunk is unsure of his fate as he awaits his punishment for (rightfully) beating up Prince Aerion. Baelor Targareyen calls Dunk into his office and explains that he has a right to a trial... lest he go to prison or be killed. When Dunk is made to go in front of the Targaryen royal court, he requests a trial by combat. Aerion agrees, but only if it's a "trial by seven."

Baelor explains that the concept of a "trial by seven" came across the Narrow Sea with the Andals and their seven gods. The Andals believed that if seven champions fought, "the gods, being thus honored, would be more likely to intervene, and see the guilty party punished." Aerion believes this is fair, as Dunk has "wronged Daeron" also, by way of "kidnapping" Egg from that inn. Therefore, Dunk has until dawn to find six other knights who will fight alongside him. If not, he forfeits the trial.

Who is Daeron and what does Dragon Dreaming mean?

Daeron is the brother of Egg and Aerion, and is referred to in the novella as Daeron the Drunken. He's the reason Egg decided to pose as a stable boy and become Dunk's squire in the first place, as Daeron ended up falling asleep drunk at the inn and not minding at all that Egg was missing (though he went ahead and accused Dunk of kidnapping Egg from the inn instead of owning up to his own mistakes).

In the book, Daeron possesses a prophetic ability known as dragon dreaming – which he was born with due to having literal dragon in his bloodline. In the first episode, Daeron tells Dunk he wants nothing to do with him, as he saw Dunk in his dream. In episode 4, Daeron finally reveals the contents of said dream:

"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."

Those who possess blood of the dragon are afflicted by these gruesome visions of terror and pain to come. You might recall that Daenerys also had dragon dreams, with hers involving a black dragon.

Who is on which side?

Fighting alongside Dunk is Ser Humfrey Hardyng, Ser Robyn Rhysling, Humfrey Beesbury, and Lyonel Baratheon – all recruited by Egg. After Steffon betrays Dunk and decides to fight on behalf of the royals, Raymun asks to be knighted and joins Dunk. The final knight on Dunk's side is, in a shocking twist, none other than heir to the Iron Throne Baelor Targaryen – who believes that Dunk was doing the right thing when he stopped Aerion from breaking all of Tanselle's fingers.

On the Targaryen side, the six knights fighting alongside Aerion are traitorous Steffon, three members of the Kingsguard, Daeron, and Maekar Targaryen.

A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs weekly on HBO. You can keep up to date with our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms release schedule, or see our 4-star A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review for our spoiler-free thoughts on the entire show.