A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has now come to an end, which means we've finished the first leg of our adventure with hedge knight Dunk and his new squire Egg – although George R.R. Martin apparently has enough material for 12 seasons, so hopefully we won't have to say a proper goodbye to our new favorite duo for quite some time.
After last week's explosive Trial by Seven unfolded at Ashford Meadow, Dunk and the others are still coming to terms with the violence that unfolded – and wondering what's next for young Egg. As all the first season's plot threads get tied up in the finale, you'd be forgiven for losing track of exactly what's going on in the plot.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ending explained
As Dunk tries to come to terms with Baelor's death after he fought by his side in the Trial of Seven, Prince Maekar asks if Dunk can train Egg. He says that the young prince won’t squire for anyone but him, and offers his own Master of Arms' services to finish training Dunk at Summerhall. Dunk turns him down and says he’s done with princes. Fair enough.
There's another flashback, this time to Dunk asking Ser Arlan why he never knighted him – but Arlan doesn't answer.
Daeron asks Dunk to take Egg to squire – he says that Aerion wasn't always a monster, implying that he could have grown up to be a better man under different circumstances, but that it's not too late for Egg to go down a different path. This is what changes Dunk's mind, and he agrees to let Egg be his squire.
Meanwhile, Egg creeps into Aerion’s room with a dagger in the middle of the night. He pauses at his brother's bedside and hesitates, before he notices that Maekar is already in the room and stops.
The next day, Dunk explains to Maekar that he wants to take Egg to squire, but not at Summerhall – he wants to take him on the road, like Ser Arlan did with him. However, Maekar forbids Egg to live as a peasant and shuts down Dunk's plans.
Later, Dunk reunites with Sweetfoot after Raymun buys him back, but Dunk gives her back to Raymun as a gift. He then nails a penny to a tree, like Ser Arlan said he always did. As Dunk is just about to leave Ashford Meadow, Egg appears and says his father has allowed him to serve Dunk. As the pair ride away together, Egg says he wants to go to Dorne – and, confusingly, that there are nine kingdoms in Westeros.
In a touching closing scene, we watch three figures ride off together on horseback: Dunk, Egg, and Ser Arlan. After a short time, Ser Arlan turns off the path and rides off on Sweetfoot into a field and out of sight, signifying that his time with Dunk is well and truly over – this is the Dunk and Egg story, now.
After the title card fills the screen (changed to 'A Knight of the Nine Kingdoms', per Egg's fun fact), we cut back to Ashford, where Maekar is frantically looking for his youngest son – again. Looks like Egg hasn't made his last illicit break for freedom after all.
What happened to Aerion after the Trial of Seven?
After Aerion lost the Trial of the Seven against Dunk, Maekar reveals that he sent him east to the Free Cities. Outside of Westeros and the Iron Throne's control, this could be the perfect opportunity for Aerion to do some soul-searching – or, more likely, it's the most effective way of getting him out of the way and stop him being a nuisance to House Targaryen.
Why does Dunk change his mind and let Egg be his squire?
When Egg's father Maekar initially asks Dunk to take Egg to squire, Dunk says no (he's "had enough of princes" for one lifetime). However, he does eventually change his mind – thanks to Egg's brother Daeron. When Daeron confronts Dunk about the issue, he uses Aerion as a cautionary tale. He says Aerion wasn’t always a monster, implying that his life might have unfolded differently with better role models, and that's what convinces Dunk to agree.
Does Egg's father know he's gone with Dunk?
No, Maekar doesn't know that Egg has left Ashford Meadow to squire with Dunk. Just like he did in episode 1, Egg lied to Dunk and said that his family knew and approved of him leaving, but that isn't the case. In a short scene after the episode ends, we see Maekar looking for his youngest troublemaker son – again.
What happened to Lyonel Baratheon?
After surviving the Trial of Seven, Lyonel asks Dunk to come with him to Storms End and serve House Baratheon, but Dunk turns him down. Still, hopefully that's not the last we see of the Laughing Storm in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
Why did Ser Arlan never make Dunk a knight?
Put simply, we don't know – and neither does Dunk. In a flashback in episode 6, we see that Dunk eventually asks his mentor outright why he's remained an eternal squire, and Arlan seems like he's going to tell him. He tells a rambling story that seems as though it'll end in a clarifying moral but, in typical Ser Arlan fashion, it doesn't. As he died soon afterwards, Dunk will never know why.
How many kingdoms are there in Westeros?
Egg says something quite puzzling right before the episode ends. He says that there are nine kingdoms in Westeros, even though the title of the show (and everything we've heard in Game of Thrones) says there are seven. After all, the full title of the person who sits on the Iron Throne is the King or Queen of "the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm."
What he could be referring to, though, is the fact that there are actually nine regions in Westeros: the North, the Vale, the Riverlands, the Iron Islands, the Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, the Crownlands, and Dorne. Could it be that Egg is a little too clever for his own good?
Will there be A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2?
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 2 is officially on the way! Filming kicked off in Belfast in December 2025, but there isn't a release date for the second installment just yet. Our next visit to Westeros will be in House of the Dragon season 3.
All episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms are now streaming on HBO Max in the US and NOW in the UK. For more, check out our A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms review, or get up to speed on the other upcoming Game of Thrones movies and TV shows in the works.
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