How Are ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’ & ‘Game of Thrones’ Connected? – Armessa Movie News

The world of Game of Thrones is expanding at an exponential rate. With HBO pursuing many spinoffs, Westeros will soon be a universe as large as any other franchise. But with so much new content on the horizon, the timeline can get confusing. There seems to be a focus on prequels to Game of Thrones, and after the success of House of the Dragon, that isn’t a surprise. These stories utilize familiar family names and, perhaps more importantly, have their own source material from George R. R. Martin. The story in House of the Dragon is inspired by his Westeros history Fire & Blood, which also provides the plot points for the newly announced Aegon’s conquest prequel. But that isn’t Martin’s only companion novel to his Song of Ice and Fire series. HBO also stated that a prequel series, called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight, has gone into development. This series will be based on Martin’s short stories about the characters Dunk and Egg. Published together in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, three stories make up the tale that will provide the premise for The Hedge Knight. With the characters and plot lines already established in the novellas, fans can get a good idea of how The Hedge Knight will fit with the established shows.

Where Does ‘The Hedge Knight’ Fall in the Timeline?

Many of the stories in this world center on the ruling family. The Targaryens had the Iron Throne for hundreds of years before Robert’s Rebellion overthrew them. Though the show is named for Dunk, his partner Egg is a Targaryen and, therefore, the most notable tie into The House of the Dragon. With at least one Targaryen playing a central role in each show, the Targaryen family tree makes them easy to place. As a prequel, The Hedge Knight obviously takes place before Game of Thrones, but this story is after House of the Dragon. In fact, this would be nearly in the middle of the two, beginning roughly 80 years after House of the Dragon and 90 years before Game of Thrones. The prominence of the Targaryens means the lead characters are all related. Egg is Daenerys’ (Emilia Clarke) great-grandfather and only five generations removed from the leads of House of the Dragon. Simply knowing these two shows helps establish where the world is at this point. The Hedge Knight will be after the last dragons are dead, yet the Targaryen dynasty is still in power.

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How Does ‘The Hedge Knight’ Connect to ‘Game of Thrones’

Besides the obvious connection of a Targaryen ancestor, The Hedge Knight has many chances to tie into the original series. As the story isn’t as far removed from Game of Thrones as the others, there is even some overlap of characters, though, by the original series, they are rather old. The most important one is Egg’s brother, who refuses the throne due to his status as a maester, none other than Maester Aemon (Peter Vaughan), who befriends Jon Snow (Kit Harington) at the Wall. Aemon will most certainly factor into the series, as the short stories include a visit to him in the Citadel and note that Aemon is the one to measure Dunk’s great height. Aemon takes up the post in the Night’s Watch to strengthen Egg’s claim to the Iron Throne, as he would have inherited before his brother. And Dunk escorts him to the Wall. While it’s still unclear how far into their lives The Hedge Knight will venture, Aemon is alive and well from the beginning.

Another character likely to appear is a young Walder Frey (David Bradley). Though a villain in Game of Thrones, Dunk and Egg run into him when he’s only a child, but still said to be annoying. Walder’s sister’s wedding is the backdrop for an important piece of Dunk and Egg’s story, so baby Walder will likely be seen at some point. Some theorize that the Winterfell nursemaid, Old Nan (Margaret John), could appear. She tells stories of Ser Duncan and has an unusually tall great-grandson. Plus, one of Bran’s (Isaac Hempstead Wright) visions shows her with a knight that matches Dunk’s description. Though Dunk hasn’t made it to Winterfell in the short stories, Martin plans to write more installments…someday.

Other notable characters tie into Dunk and Egg’s story later, so depending on how long the show goes, they could make it on screen. One example is Barristan Selmy (Ian McElhinney), who defeats an older Dunk in a tourney at only sixteen. Olenna Redwyne, who later becomes Olenna Tyrell (Diana Rigg), nearly marries one of Egg’s sons. Although these two may not appear simply because when in life they cross paths with the heroes, close family members could easily show up.

What Is Happening in This Time Period?

With no dragons to speak of, perhaps it’s not the flashiest moment in Westeros’ history, but the time period has plenty of conflicts for its own show. Dunk’s story happens shortly after the First Blackfyre Rebellion, and the landscape of Westeros is still divided from the war. With several more Blackfyre Pretenders attempting to take the throne, the world is full of secret alliances, and no one can be sure whom to trust. The Blackfyre Rebellions pit different factions of Targaryens against one another, like in House of the Dragon. The Blackfyres are the legitimized bastard line of King Aegon IV, who believe they should get the throne, as Daemon Blackfyre was older than his Targaryen half-brother. When Daemon Blackfyre loses the First Blackfyre Rebellion, his descendants don’t give up.

Several Blackfyre Rebellions happen, some in the timeframe of the story. These conflicts will be the center of the political intrigue, but largely, this isn’t a time of open war. Yet tensions are high from mistrust and the potential of war. This timeframe also sees the Great Spring Sickness spread across Westeros. There is also plenty of drama in the royal family as the crown passes down four brothers before getting to Egg’s father. Egg himself is the youngest of four brothers, meaning his cousins and brothers were all higher in the line of succession. Yet unfortunate circumstances lead to Egg becoming King, meaning there are a lot of Targaryen deaths throughout the story. Though the show’s conflict won’t be the same as other shows in the franchise, it has plenty going on, and the variation will set The Hedge Knight apart.