Diksha Sundriyal
As the first season of HBO’s ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms‘ inches towards the finale, we get an insight into Dunk’s origins. In an earlier episode, it was revealed that he comes from Flea Bottom, where Ser Arlan of Pennytree found him and took him under his wing. Since then, Dunk has come a long way, but no matter where he goes, his past stays with him. A glimpse into his life before he became Ser Arlan’s squire is given in the penultimate episode, where a flashback reveals that he wasn’t alone in Flea Bottom. He had a friend named Rafe, and what happened with her played an important role in deciding the trajectory of Dunk’s life. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Rafe’s Fate Plays an Important Role in Deciding Dunk’s Future
Before he became Ser Duncan the Tall, he was simply Dunk from Flea Bottom. Rafe was his one and only friend, with whom he used to scrape together bits and pieces that they could sell to provide for themselves. She is also an expert thief and has a swift hand that can steal things right from under a person’s nose. In the ‘Dunk and Egg’ novellas by George R.R. Martin, Ser Duncan fondly looks back at his days with his friends, with whom he used to get up to all sorts of trouble. The show limits those friends to one, which is why, perhaps, what happens by the end leaves more impact on Dunk and the audience.
Rafe’s true origins are not known, but it seems that she and Dunk connected over the fact that they were both orphaned at a young age and left to fend for themselves. Life in Flea Bottom wasn’t that good, but with Rafe by his side, Dunk didn’t give too much thought to the future, especially since she seemed to do the thinking for both of them. Rafe didn’t want to spend the rest of her life crawling the streets of Flea Bottom. She shares the plan of fleeing Westeros altogether and heading to the Free Cities across the ocean with Dunk, who is not so sure about it, but is ready to go along with her.
Clearly, Rafe has thought things through, because not only does she have a plan, but she also has the means to execute it. After stealing things from dead and dying knights, she seems to have scrounged up enough pennies to buy two tickets out of King’s Landing. However, the timing turns out to be bad, as the prices have skyrocketed, given how many people have come up with the same plan as her. She is dejected but not deterred. Had she had more time, she would have gotten the money and left Westeros with Dunk, who would have followed her anywhere. But tragically, things turn out very differently for her, which leaves Dunk to the fate that brings him to Ser Arlan and eventually to Ashford Meadow, which changes his life.
Chloe Lea Portrays the Chaotic and Tragic Rafe
Chloe Lea plays the role of Rafe in ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.’ The 20-year-old British actress has previously appeared in HBO’s ‘Dune: Prophecy,’ the prequel to Denis Villeneuve’s ‘Dune’ movies that follow the saga of Paul Atreides. She has also had minor but important roles in Apple TV+’s sci-fi series ‘Foundation’ and Steven Knight’s adaptation of ‘Great Expectations’ for BBC One. Lea was born on November 4, 2005, in Blackburn, England, and grew up in Swinton, Greater Manchester, in a working-class family. She became interested in acting at a young age and landed her first role at the age of nine, playing Rosie Medford in ITV’s drama series ‘Scott & Bailey.’
She established herself as an actor to look out for with the titular role in the 2018 TV show, ‘Katy,’ for which she received the BAFTA Children’s Award for Young Performer and the Royal Television Society North West Award for Best Breakthrough Talent. Since then, Lea has appeared in a variety of projects, picking diverse roles that display her versatility. Apart from TV, she has also worked in several short films, like ‘For Heidi,’ ‘Rose,’ and ‘Stable.’ With ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,’ she continues her streak of being a part of high-profile projects that expose her to a worldwide audience.
With several projects lined up for release, Lea has been busy building her repertoire as a commendable actress. In her personal time, she likes to wind down by spending time with her friends and family. She also likes to travel, play guitar, and go skateboarding. The actress is also vocal about social and political causes, and promotes sustainability in regular life as well as in her work projects. She credits her family for supporting her with her career at a young age, and acknowledges her working-class background to give her the sensibility and the groundedness that inform her performances. She wishes to continue exploring a range of characters and bring a sense of authenticity to every part she plays.
Read More: What does the Prophecy About Egg Mean in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
You must be logged in to post a comment.