Diksha Sundriyal
Things get complicated for Ser Duncan the Tall in the third episode of HBO’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’ As he prepares for the tourney, he has a string of encounters that change the course of his journey. The future looks rather tumultuous for him, but at one point in the episode, an oracle tells him he will be rich and successful. Meanwhile, his squire, Egg, gets a prophecy of his own, which makes Dunk laugh, but leaves the boy concerned about what the future holds for him. MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD.
The Oracle’s Prophecy Paints a Complicated Future for Egg
When the oracle looks at Egg, she tells him he will be king, that he will die in a fire, and people will rejoice at his death. Dunk laughs at it because the idea of his squire becoming king is preposterous to him. However, by the end of the episode, it is revealed that Egg is actually a Targaryen prince who had been hiding his identity from everyone. Still, he is the fourth son of the third son of the current king, so he is far away in the line of succession. However, the oracle’s prophecy does come true, and he becomes a king after all. A lot of stuff happens before he is crowned the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms. Technically, King Daeron should have been succeeded by Prince Baelor, whom we meet at the Ashford Meadow. But a tragic turn of events leads to death. A year or so later, King Daeron and Baelor’s sons, Valarr and Matarys, die in the Great Spring Sickness, leading Baelor’s younger brother, Aerys I, to become king.
When he dies without any children, the throne goes to Prince Maekar, Egg’s father. Over the years, Egg’s elder brothers, Aerion and Daeron, die, so when King Maekar passes away, a question of succession enters the picture. While both Aerion and Daeron had one child each, the Great Council decided to pass over both of them. Daeron had a daughter, and Aerion had a son, but the latter was not considered on the account that they feared he would turn out cruel and sadistic like his father. The next choice was Prince Aemon, but he decided to become a maester and suggested his younger brother, Prince Aegon, aka Egg, for the role. By that time, he was already married and had built a reputation for being sympathetic to the common folk, which was seen as a negative point by some highborns, but he seemed the best and only choice at the moment.
Egg’s Death is Marked with Fire and Ash
When Egg, aka Aegon, becomes king, he tries to do his best for the common folk. He has spent a lot of time roaming the continent with Ser Duncan and has become well-versed in the problems faced by them. Thus, he passes decrees and makes laws to ease their lives, but the other lords don’t like this. They see it as a threat to their way of life, which stokes rebellion against Egg. Moreover, he tries to marry his children into different houses to strengthen ties with them, but his kids fall in love with people other than the ones they are betrothed to, and their actions create more distress within the houses, who feel cheated by the royal family. Thus, Egg has to deal with a lot of dissent, with the spark of rebellion spreading across the country. Because Egg had always been obsessed with dragons, he believed that they were the only beings that could help him bring everyone in line.
However, his attempt to hatch a dragon egg leads him and several others to get caught up in a fire they don’t come out alive. This fulfills the second part of the oracle’s prophecy. She also mentions that people will rejoice at his death, and Egg thinks she is talking about the commoners. In truth, the ones who are actually happy with his death are the noble lords of various houses who didn’t want a king so dedicated to the common folk. Eventually, all the people-friendly laws that Egg made are undone, which throws the subjects of his kingdom back into the pit that he had hoped to bring them out of. With this, the oracle’s prophecy is proven right in every aspect, with Egg looking towards a future that will put him on an entirely unexpected path that challenges him in ways he couldn’t have foreseen.
Read More: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: How Did Ser Arlan of Pennytree Die?
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