Bloody Hell, That 'Bald Kid' From A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Is a Targaryen Prince?!
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Turns out the unassuming squire 'Egg' from HBO's *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* isn't just any kid; he's Aegon V Targaryen, a future King of Westeros and great-great-grandfather to Daenerys, with a surprisingly epic destiny lurking behind his low-key beginnings.
Right, so I’ve been tinkering with this new *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* yarn all morning, and fair warning, mate: it's wilder than a rogue spell cast at a wizard's tea party. HBO’s latest dive back into Westeros is meant to be a bit more low-key, yeah? Fewer dragons, fewer White Walkers, more... well, more knights being knights. You know, a gentle ramble through the countryside with a lovable, if somewhat thick, hedge knight and his earnest young squire.
But just when you think you’re settling into a nice, chilled-out side quest, the show decides to pull the rug out from under you. Like when you accidentally clip through a wall in a game and find a whole hidden dev room. Turns out, that seemingly unassuming bald lad, Egg, isn't just some bright-eyed orphan from Flea Bottom. Oh no, he's only a bloody Targaryen prince. And not just any prince – one with a destiny so epic it makes *Game of Thrones*' own 'Queen of Dragons' look like a minor side character by comparison.
Now, anyone who's been paying attention to Egg – his unnervingly sharp wit, his encyclopedic knowledge of noble houses and tourney combatants – probably had a hunch something was up. He’s not exactly your typical squire, is he? More like a pint-sized loremaster in disguise. And that, my friends, is where the magic begins. The revelation that Dunk's humble squire is actually Aegon Targaryen V, son of Prince Maekar I, is a proper Westeros-shaking twist. It’s like finding out the level 1 peasant NPC you've been doing fetch quests for is actually the final boss of the entire expansion. Absolutely brilliant.
So, who *is* this Egg, this Aegon V, and why should us seasoned gamers – and lore hounds – care? Well, for starters, his family tree is basically the entire *Game of Thrones* universe. We're talking great-great-great-great-grandson of Viserys I (the dude from *House of the Dragon*), great-great-great-grandson of Rhaenyra Targaryen (also *House of the Dragon* royalty), and — wait for it — *great-great-grandfather* to Daenerys Targaryen herself. Yeah, that Daenerys. The one with the dragons and the penchant for setting things on fire. This little bald squirt is practically the genesis point for a whole lineage of chaos and fire. Talk about lineage goals, eh?
His immediate family isn't exactly a quiet bunch either. His dad is Prince Maekar, who's not too thrilled about his missing sons. His brothers include the sadistic Aerion (who apparently has a thing for drinking wildfire – because, Targaryens) and the perpetually tipsy Daeron. Oh, and one of his brothers is also Maester Aemon, the wise old sage from Castle Black in *Game of Thrones* who refused the throne. Imagine refusing the Iron Throne just to chill with a bunch of crows and Jon Snow! What a legend.
Egg (Aegon V) wasn't exactly planning on scrubbing armour for a living, mind you. He ditched his drunken brother Daeron's squireship and found himself following Dunk, the hedge knight with a heart of gold and a head full of rocks, to the Ashford Meadows tourney. This decision, combined with Dunk's rather heroic (and slightly ill-advised) defence of a puppeteer, lands our dynamic duo in a whole heap of trouble. But what's an adventure without a bit of peril, eh?
Now, for those who've dipped into George R.R. Martin's novellas, you'll know that Egg's journey doesn't end with him being a squire in a prequel series. Oh no. At Ashford Meadows, he encounters a soothsayer who drops a prophecy on him that’s less 'win the lottery' and more 'doom and gloom, fiery death, and everyone will be glad you're gone'. Dunk laughs it off, naturally, but Egg is rightly shaken. And considering the infamous tragedy of Summerhall that eventually befalls him, maybe he should've paid more attention to that ancient oracle's grim prediction. It’s like getting a pre-patch data mine revealing the terrible ending to your favourite game. Exciting but oh-so-foreboding.
His path to the Iron Throne is less a straight line and more a series of unfortunate, deadly events for his predecessors. See, Egg was originally way down the line of succession, which allowed him to gallivant around with Dunk for ages. But then his father, Maekar, becomes King. Two years later, Maekar gets unceremoniously crushed by a giant rock during the Peake Uprising. Just Westeros things, I guess. His older brothers, Daeron and Aerion, had already shuffled off this mortal coil from disease and, uh, drinking wildfire, respectively. And Maester Aemon, bless his wise old heart, steadfastly refuses the crown. So, with literally no one else left, Egg sheds his humble nickname and becomes King Aegon V Targaryen.
And what a king he was! Aegon V, now grown up, was loved by the smallfolk, largely because he’d spent so much time among them as Dunk's squire. He understood their struggles, which is a rare trait for a Targaryen, let's be honest. And guess who was by his side? None other than Ser Duncan the Tall, who joined his Kingsguard and eventually became its Lord Commander. Talk about a glow-up! From low-key squire and hedge knight to King and Lord Commander – that’s a bloody epic character arc, that is.
Now, *A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms* is only showing us the very start of this incredible journey. Will the series ever get to Aegon’s reign? Will we see the infamous tragedy of Summerhall unfold on screen? George R.R. Martin has been teasing more Dunk and Egg stories for years, and given HBO's commitment to the lore, I wouldn't completely discount the idea. It's the kind of deep-lore expansion that makes me genuinely excited about where the storytelling might go. For now, though, we're just getting a taste of the humble beginnings of a king whose life was far more pivotal than any of us initially imagined. It’s a classic RPG trope, really: the quiet beginner with a massive destiny just waiting to be unveiled. And honestly, mate, I’m absolutely here for it.
Tags: Game of Thrones, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Westeros Lore, Targaryen History, Fantasy TV
Original article: Polygon