A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 4 "Seven" delivers its strongest opening yet, with Ser Duncan the Tall brooding in his cell, and Prince Egg, revealing himself as Prince Aegon Targaryen, entering in full Targaryen red and black attire, with a guard close behind. In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3 “The Squire,” Duncan, at Egg’s calling, comes to Tanselle Too-Tall’s aid as Prince Aerion snaps her finger for taking offense at her puppet show. Egg brings Duncan food and apologizes for posing as a stable boy, while Duncan realizes that he is in a deep mess.
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Episode 4 is largely a tale of the young Prince Aegon's bravery and the tall, brooding Duncan's courage and steadfastness. It also offers a full peek at the newest lot of Targaryens, each seemingly more vile and madder than the last, while showing that the smallfolk are more honorable than them.
Duncan Is Arrested While Egg Tries To Help Him
Prince Aegon Targaryen explains that he was supposed to squire for his eldest brother, Daeron, who is mostly a drunk with no desire to enter the lists. Daeron instead planned for the two of them to hide in the inn on the road to Ashford until the end of the tourney. Egg also reveals that it was Daeron, and not himself, who shaved his head. It's amusing how Duncan continues to speak to Egg the same way as before, never addressing him by his royal titles. He dismisses everything that involves Daeron and gets straight to the point: it was Egg, after all, who told him he was only a stable boy.
Egg, teary-eyed, clearly harbors familial affection for Duncan by this point. Egg admits he only wanted to squire for someone, and did not want to miss the tourney, but Duncan dryly replies he would have served even a donkey if it were squire-less. He goes on to remark that they found each other through bad luck, unaware that they are on this journey together until death parts them.
Poor Duncan wanted to win glory, and here he was, imprisoned for kicking one prince in the mouth and kidnapping another. Aegon and Duncan plead each other’s cases before Prince Baelor in his chambers, and this man proves to be nothing less than an honorable knight through and through. Baelor knows what exactly Aerion is capable of. He recognizes that his assault on the puppeteer was cruel, but still reprimands Egg for not bringing the matter to him and turning to Duncan.
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As Prince Baelor orders Egg to pour Duncan some wine and leave the chamber, the episode delivers its most shocking revelation yet. Daeron, who had been found by his father hiding at the inn on the road to Ashford, had lied to him, claiming that the youngest. Aegon had been kidnapped by "a robber knight. Both Duncan and Prince Baelor know that Aerion is an offender, a twister of tales, and that Daeron is a liar.
Daeron's story about losing his youngest brother to a robber knight might have been believable had he pursued this supposed captor four nights ago, when Duncan visited the inn last. Instead, he made no such attempt until he was found by his father, Maekar. Baelor has to explain to the simpleton Duncan that, no matter the circumstances, Aerion is the King’s grandson and of the blood of the dragon. Striking him is treason, much like the puppeteer girl, Tanselle Too-Tall’s puppet show of slaying a dragon, which is the sigil of the royal house.
Aerion calls it a veiled attack on House Targaryen, an incitement to revolt.
All Duncan asks is: aren’t the knights bound by the same oaths, regardless of their royal status? He adds that a Hedge Knight and a royal prince are both under oath to protect the innocent.
Aerion Demands A Trial Of Seven
Aerion wants Duncan’s head, and when a court sits, it will not rule in Duncan’s favor. For now, Duncan faces two charges: assault and kidnapping of royal blood, which is why Prince Baelor seeks to know just how good a knight Ser Duncan truly is. The path forward is simple: Duncan will be instructed to demand a Trial by Combat to save himself. Aerion, who never plays fair, unveils a very different plan during the proceedings. Knowing full well that he does not stand a chance of besting Ser Duncan the Tall, he refuses and invokes the ancient and rarely used Trial of Seven when Duncan is brought before the court.
It is another form of Trial by Combat. Ancient, seldom invoked. It came across the Narrow Sea with the Andals and their seven gods.
The Andal onslaught on Westeros brought with it new things, including Faith of the Seven. A Trial of Seven was believed to have the gods intervening to guide the outcome when seven champions fought on each side. Maekar would rather his son slay the “rogue” Ser Duncan alone, but Aerion insists on a Trial by Seven, claiming Daeron was wronged as well and therefore a matter of Targaryen honor could not be left in doubt.
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Prince Baelor agrees, informing everyone that this trial will be held at dawn. And now, it’s upon Duncan to find six other knights to fight against Aerion, because if he is unable to find them, it simply means he is guilty. With the gathering dismissed, Duncan goes straight to Thunder, where he is greeted by Raymun and taken straight to his cousin, Ser Steffon Fossoway, who stands up for him without even being asked.
You shan’t die under my watch, Ser. I promise you that.
The same old Game of Thrones sentiment prevails in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: that the Targaryens are invaders of Westeros. Ser Steffon points out that his family has been on Westerosi soil long before the Targaryens, who no longer have dragons. With that, Raymun speaks of bringing five more knights to restore Ser Duncan’s complement.
Prince Daeron And Egg Step In To Save Ser Duncan The Tall
Prince Daeron is quite unlike the deeply unsettling impression he gave viewers in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 1 “The Hedge Knight.” He brings Aegon out of the castle to meet with Duncan, and Duncan almost has his throat cut with a knife. Daeron, through this interaction, is also revealed to be more of a drunk who had to spin some story to save himself from his father’s wrath. He and his youngest brother Aegon, are on the same side. Egg reveals that when he was very young, Aerion would sneak into his chambers and threaten to mutilate him and marry him. The Targaryens wed brothers and sisters for generations. Aegon adds that Aerion threw his cat in the well, and this detail explains why he wants to see the unhinged Aerion gone. Egg also notes that Aerion genuinely believes himself to be a dragon in human form, thus explaining why he was fuming at the puppet show.
Aerion has knights of the Kingsguard, his father Maekar, and Daeron (who has no intention of truly fighting against Duncan), while Egg promises to seek out the remaining of Duncan’s champions and announces his decision to arm him as he remains his squire. Daeron steals Duncan for a moment, telling him his dreams are no ordinary dreams, but they come true. He also apologizes to Duncan for lying.
But 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 on top of you. But you were alive, and the dragon was dead.
When Duncan asks if he killed a dragon, Daeron cannot confirm.
Duncan finds his newly restored shield with Steely Pate, which is revealed to have been painted by Tanselle. Pate gives him hope, informing him that Tenselle left the shield with him and that her troupe is on their way to Dorne. A deeply touching conversation between them brings Duncan to tears, offering a glimpse of his human side.
House Targaryen Is Split
At dawn, Duncan approaches his fighting champions, who include Ser Robyn Rhysling, Ser Lyonel Baratheon, Ser Humfrey Beesbury, and Ser Humfrey Hardyng. Baratheon is in it for fun while Rhysling fights in the name of the gods. Hardyng has a bone to pick with Aerion after the latter unfairly struck his horse’s neck with a lance, sending both of them crashing to the ground. Shortly before the trial, the overzealous Steffon calls out to Raymun over his armor, announcing that he will fight for the accusers. He has traded his honor for a lordship, and with that, Raymun refuses to arm him.
Moments before the trial, Raymun kneels before Duncan, asking to be knighted. Dunk hesitates and, in the end, Lyonel Baratheon knights squire Raymun, leaving Duncan to take care of the rest. Duncan sees a vision of his master, Ser Arlan of Pennytree, and then addresses the assembled royals in the arena, declaring how they once served them. He then delivers a speech on what it means to be a true knight, speaking of courage and protecting the innocent.
An attendee rises, only to pass wind loudly, leaving the crowd laughing, but Duncan continues, “Are there no true knights among you?” At that very moment, the heir to the throne, Prince Baelor, rides in strides into the fighting pits, declaring, “I will take Ser Duncan’s side!” Maekar is in shambles until the heir to the Iron Throne in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms tells him that Duncan protected the innocent, and it is the gods who will decide the guilty.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
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- January 18, 2026
