A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms

At the wedding, Dunk is seated beside Ball, and he listens to him complain about his positioning. He feels he should be given a more prestigious place in honor of his father. When he curses Bloodraven, Dunk is cautious. Dunk steps outside, and while urinating, he overhears a conversation between Lord Peake and an unknown person. They are discussing urgent plans, which focus on dragon’s eggs and an unnamed someone who must prove himself to be “his father’s son” (274). The men have been assured that the dragon’s egg can hatch, even though no egg has hatched in many years. Sensing the men are in a conspiracy of some kind, Dunk quietly returns inside.

During the feast, Dunk finds himself involved in the bedding tradition, thanks to the encouragement of John the Fiddler. He carries the “nearly naked” young bride up to her bed as the guests cheer. Inside the bed chamber, he spots the prized dragon’s egg. When he touches it, however, he is accosted by an angry man. Dunk recognizes his voice as that of the mysterious figure from outside. He does not recognize the man but feels the need to obey. He leaves the egg.

Feeling increasingly drunk, Dunk seeks fresh air. John the Fiddler again engages him in conversation, claiming he recognizes Dunk. John claims that Dunk was in his dream, dressed in the Kingsguard white armor. John believes that his dreams come true, as when he dreamed that his brothers were dead and when he dreamed of a dragon hatching at Whitewalls. He seems upset when Dunk does not share his enthusiasm.

John promises to bring Dunk into his service in the future, insisting that he “must have the dragon’s egg” (285). Lord Peake appears and suggests that John go to bed. When alone with Dunk, he asks what John promised the hedge knight. When Dunk mentions a lordship, Peake threatens him. He warns Dunk not to tell anyone about their conversation.

Dunk stumbles to his room. He finds Egg awake, reading a book of heraldry. Egg has been fighting other squires because they accused his father of being a “kinslayer,” though he did not reveal his identity. Egg believes that this is a “traitor’s tourney,” full of knights who fought on Daemon’s side in the rebellion. Since he has no shield, Dunk has purchased a new shield that still bears the previous owner’s sigil. Still feeling the effects of the wine, he tells Egg to enter his name in the lists as the Gallows Knight, named after the hanged man on his sigil. He will compete as a mystery knight, just in case anyone remembers the story of what happened to him at Ashford.

The next day, Dunk is very hungover. Though he is confident about his first match—his opponent’s sigil is a snail—Dunk is unhorsed by Ser Uthor Underleaf. The knight aims his lance at Dunk’s head and knocks him out. Dunk nearly dies, and when he wakes up, he realizes that he must surrender his armor and horse to his foe. He wanders through the courtyard, feeling regretful. Spying the wedding performers as they carry a chest toward a carriage, he tries to engage them in friendly conversation. They glare at him, and Dunk walks away.

He talks to Kyle the Cat and Maynard Plumm, who suggest that he could flee before having to give up his horse and armor, but Dunk insists that he must do the honorable thing. He wonders whether he should send Egg back to his father—without these items, he doesn’t need a squire. When he puts this idea to Egg, Egg disagrees but obeys Dunk and leaves.

In a sour mood, unable to pay the ransom for his armor and horse, Dunk visits Ser Uthor. He is a frequent competitor in tournaments—rather than a hedge knight, he is a tourney knight. He uses his unimpressive appearance to fool his foes, betting heavily on himself before he loses in the latter stages of the tournament. Among the coins in his winnings, there is one bearing the head of Daemon Blackfyre, and he calls it traitor’s gold.”

Ser Uthor also reveals that while Ser Glendon’s father was a famous knight, his mother was a “camp follower” named Penny Jenny. Ser Glendon is often taunted with the nickname Pussywillows, the name of the brothel where his mother worked and he grew up. Ser Uthor is confident that he can beat Ser Glendon Fireball, and he hints that he bribes the officials to pair him up with profitable opponents. He even offers Dunk employment, losing to him in fixed jousts at other tournaments. He tells Dunk that someone paid him to kill Dunk during their joust, and he warns Dunk that he has an enemy.

Dunk cannot find Egg. He talks to Ser Glendon, and they agree that they are surrounded by untrustworthy people. Dunk visits John the Fiddler to ask after Egg, and he again tries to recruit Dunk. He speaks like he is more than a hedge knight, and he confronts John, who freely admits it is true. Dunk also notices that he has similar eyes to Egg.

Lord Peake enters and insists that all will be revealed “soon enough.” John departs for a joust and, when he is alone with Lord Peake, Dunk notices that the man refers to John as though he were royalty. This tournament, Dunk realizes, is a pretext for “another Blackfyre rebellion” (320). Peake confirms this, insisting that the king is weak. If they can hatch a dragon from the egg, then nothing will stand in their way. He warns Dunk not to leave the castle.

Rumors spread that someone has stolen the dragon’s egg. Ser Glendon Ball is accused of the theft by Peake, who demands that Ball be locked up. Dunk cannot find Egg, and, while searching, he finds himself in a confrontation with Alyn Cockshaw. The lord admits to bribing Ser Uthor to kill Dunk, as he did not appreciate the attention Ser John the Fiddler paid to Dunk on the road. He admits that John the Fiddler is actually Daemon Blackfyre.

They fight, and Cockshaw stabs Dunk, who throws him down a well. Maynard Plumm arrives and helps the injured Dunk, then tells him where to find Egg. He reveals that he is Bloodraven’s agent, there to investigate a Blackfyre conspiracy that is using the wedding and the tournament as a cover story.

Egg is being held in the sept with Lord Butterwell. He has revealed his identity to Butterwell, who is terrified that he will face repercussions because Egg lied to him, claiming that he and Dunk were spies sent by Bloodraven. Butterwell is panicked and disillusioned with the potential rebellion, pointing out that Daemon does not even have his father’s sword.

The doors open, and Black Tom Heddle, Butterwell’s son-in-law, enters. Egg warns that his father’s soldiers are heading to Whitewalls at this moment. Tom tries to kill Egg to kickstart a new rebellion, but Dunk arrives and kills him. Caught in a conspiracy, Dunk tells Egg to flee with Lord Butterwell. He will buy time by confronting Blackfyre II, son of the Blackfyre Rebellion’s leader, and demand that Ball be freed because he is not the thief.

Outside, Ball demands a trial by combat. He defeats Daemon and proves his innocence. Beyond the walls, an army is spotted. Dunk is met by Bloodraven himself, and the Second Blackfyre Rebellion ends “with a whimper” (349). The heads of Gormon Peake and Black Tom Heddle are hung up as a warning.

Bloodraven notes how Egg has changed: The young boy is more confident and forceful after his time with Dunk. Rather than return to his family, Egg insists on staying with Dunk. Bloodraven suggests that Egg is the dragon born at Whitewalls, as seen in the dream, and he acknowledges Dunk’s role in foiling the rebellion. Whitewalls will now be torn down so as not to become a significant site for future rebellions. Bloodraven also agrees to pay the ransom for Dunk’s horse and armor.

Dunk realizes that Bloodraven was aware of the rebellion plot when he tells Dunk that the egg was never actually stolen. Instead, it was taken by one of Bloodraven’s agents. One of the performers climbed up the privy shaft, Dunk believes, and took the egg. Dunk and Egg resume their journey north.