Dunk has to face his fate on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 4 after striking Aerion. He also needs to deal with his feelings about Egg.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 4.
After striking Aerion, we knew that Dunk would need to face a trial. The promos from the second episode made it clear that he would end up facing a Trial by Combat, but Aerion has a different plan. He wants a Trial of Seven, which means Dunk has to find six other knights to fight with him.
Egg apologizes for his lies on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1 episode 4
Before we can get to that, Egg needs to see Dunk in the cells. His uncle has sent him to apologize for lying, and while Egg says that he didn’t mean to lie, he did. Dunk wants to know why, but the reason isn’t all that sufficient. Daeron didn’t want to fight in the tourney, and that’s why he stayed behind at the inn. Egg really wanted to be a squire, as he was supposed to squire for Daeron, so he found Dunk.
As Dunk has to see Baelor, he thinks about everything that Egg has told him. However, he doesn’t have much time for that, as he learns that Daeron told Maeker that a knight had taken Egg. That’s certainly not what happened and Baelor knows it, but it could go against Dunk anyway.
Baelor knows that Dunk will be found guilty, and that will mean losing his hand (and his foot, since he also kicked Aerion), but Baelor doesn’t want that. So, he asks again, “How good a knight are you?” It’s a hint to request a Trial by Combat.
A Trial of Seven invoked on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Aerion doesn’t want the Trial by Combat, but he doesn’t have a choice. This is Dunk’s right. So, Aerion gets an idea. He wants a Trial of Seven, which very few have heard of. It means Dunk will need to find six other knights to fight with him.
Maeker is angry, because he believes that Aerion is hiding behind other knights. Does he have little faith in his own abilities? However, Maeker has to respect it, and so does Baelor. Dunk is allowed to leave to find his knights.
Raymun has been watching the horses, and he learns about everything that has happened. So, it’s time to find the knights, and his cousin Steffan agrees to fight. Steffan also says that he will find others to join them.
With that, Dunk heads off in search for knights as well, and that’s when he sees Daeron in the tent. Daeon apologizes for everything he said about Dunk taking Egg. He knows that didn’t happen, and he also knows Dunk. In fact, he’s dreamed of Dunk and that dream involved fire and a dead dragon. Dearon says that his dreams come true, so does this offer hope for the trial?
Daeron does share a little more about his brother, Aerion, though, explaining why the dragon set him off so much. Aerion believes that he is a dragon born into human form, so he viewed the attack on the dragon as a personal one.
Dunk goes to find Tanselle
With this, Dunk decides to head to where the puppeteers were. They’ve all left for Dorne, as Tanselle would have faced trial for inciting violence by killing the dragon.
She did leave Dunk’s shield with the armorer, though, who shares that he has added metal to the shield to make it stronger. As they discuss the meaning behind the painting — looking like death, except that the elm tree has summer leaves — the armorer shares that he will charge just a copper for the shield framework. This man wants Dunk to win, and he will stick with him the whole way. He also has his armor ready.
The next day, we learn that Egg is the one who ends up finding some other knights. Lyonel Baratheon, Humfrey Beesbury, Humfrey Hardyn, and Robyn Rhysling all agree to fight for Dunk. They all have a grudge against Aerion.
So, they get ready to fight, only to end up with learning that Steffan has changed sides. He was promised a lordship for fighting with Aerion, so now, they are down to five again. Raymun asks Dunk to knight him. Any knight can knight another, and then Raymun can fight by Dunk’s side. However, Dunk says, “I shouldn’t,” and it’s a huge hint that Dunk was never knighted in the first place.
Lyonel knights Raymun, but they are still a knight down. And just as the Game of Thrones theme plays after a speech from Dunk to all the noble houses about true knights, Baelor rides out. He’s joining Dunk’s side in this Trial of Seven.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms airs on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.