By
Angel Shaw
Published Feb 15, 2026, 10:40 PM EST
Angel Shaw is a Lead Writer and Peer Mentor on ScreenRant's New TV team, covering new-release TV shows across all major streaming platforms. She has been a writer with ScreenRant since 2022 and specializes in Harry Potter, The Lord of the Rings, and fantasy.
Angel holds a bachelor's degree in language interpreting and is passionate about all things culture and communication—especially in how it relates to popular media throughout history (from Shakespeare to Friends to Game of Thrones).
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Warning! Spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 ahead!A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has built up to its climax in episode 5 with the arrival of the trial of seven, a deep dive into Dunk's history, and a devastating death. In the previous episode of the Game of Thrones prequel, we saw Dunk begin to face the consequences of his encounter with Prince Aerion Targaryen. Though he had only been attempting to protect the innocent (the duty of a knight), striking a member of the Targaryen bloodline is, naturally, a pretty big deal. Dunk's only hope of survival was a trial by combat, but Aerion demanded a trial of seven instead.
The biggest challenge for Dunk in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4 was finding enough knights to stand by him in the trial of seven. For a time, it seemed hopeless. However, Raymun Fossoway's newly dubbed knighthood and Prince Baelor Targaryen's shocking decision to stand by Dunk against his kin meant the hedge knight was good to go. This is where we enter into the events of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5.
Dunk’s Trial Of Seven Begins
Ser Duncan is shocked after seeing Baelor join his side in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 4
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 begins as all seven members of Dunk's team prepare for the trial of seven. This includes Dunk himself, Lyonel Baratheon, Raymun Fossoway, Robyn Rhysling, Humfrey Beesbury, Humfrey Hardyng, and, of course, Prince Baelor Targaryen. They will face off against Prince Aerion Targaryen, Prince Daeron Targaryen, Prince Maekar Targaryen, Steffon Fossoway, and three members of the King's Guard.
Dunk is put at a major advantage with Baelor on his side, since the King's Guards' vows forbid them from harming a member of the royal blood. Still, if Dunk himself is killed or forced to yield, he will be deemed guilty regardless of who is left standing on his side. On the other side of things, Dunk could still win even if all the men standing by his side perish. Overall, this means that all the fighters have good reason to feel tense.
After some anxious vomiting and a rather morose speech from a young herald, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms' trial of seven begins. It only takes a second to see that this event will be devastating. During the very first tilt, Dunk is stabbed in the abdomen by Aerion's lance. Though he manages to stay on his horse, a blow to the head from Aerion's mace takes him straight to the ground. We all hoped that Dunk would suddenly reveal himself to be a great and practiced fighter. However, less than four minutes into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5, Dunk is left unconscious on the field.
Dunk Has Flashbacks To His Childhood In Flea Bottom
After Dunk is swiftly knocked out, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5 jumps into a flashback sequence. We already knew that Dunk grew up an orphan in King's Landing, but we see this firsthand as a teenage Dunk loots a battlefield for anything of value. He is joined by a young girl called Rafe, who is eager to sell all they find for enough coin to escape King's Landing and the grimy district of Flea Bottom for good.
Young Dunk is much like his older self. Though strong and resilient, he has an air of sweet innocence. Rafe, on the other hand, is aggressive, hard, and mischievous. Regardless of their differences, it's clear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms that Dunk and Rafe are one another's family. They have only each other, and there is a great deal of love in their relationship.
Of course, we know that Rafe isn't a feature of Dunk's future, so there's no doubt that this pair's story together would end in tragedy. During A Knight of the Seven Kingdom's flashback sequence, Rafe makes an enemy of one of Flea Bottom's drunken low-lives. She and Dunk might have walked away from the conflict, but when Rafe steals the man's knife, it's all over. Dunk watches as her throat is slashed and holds her as she dies.
Dunk should have been killed as well, but at the very last moment, Ser Arlan of Pennytree arrives and saves the boy's life. The knight is drunk, but he proves to be an excellent fighter, single-handedly taking on all three of these much younger men. Dunk is mesmerized by Ser Arlan's heroics, and without Rafe to serve as his family, Dunk takes off after the knight as he leaves King's Landing.
How Dunk Became Ser Arlan’s Squire Explained
We don't know what exactly is going through Dunk's head as he follows after Ser Arlan in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5. He keeps his distance, ensuring that Ser Arlan doesn't spot him. This proves difficult, since Dunk took a spear wound to the leg during the conflict with Rafe's killers. On his hobbling journey, Dunk drinks bad water and nearly freezes to death before he finally collapses on the road, where Ser Arlan finds him.
Dunk and Ser Arlan both suffered losses in the lead-up to their meeting, as evidenced by the fresh grave topped with a helmet at Arlan's first camp outside King's Landing. It seems that they were destined to find one another. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms only shows Ser Arlan demanding that Dunk wake up, so we have yet to see their relationship as knight and squire established. Still, this memory is all Dunk needs to rouse himself and keep fighting in the trial of seven.
Dunk Defeats Prince Aerion Targaryen & Wins The Trial Of Seven
We learn a lot about Dunk during his flashbacks in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5. The most overt feature of these memories is Dunk's lifelong desperation for family and love. However, each of these scenes is underscored by his remarkable strength and endurance. The stab wound he received to his calf would be enough to keep a full-grown man down, but Dunk hardly seemed to notice the pain as he followed Ser Arlan across the wilderness. It's a small detail, but this wound is deeply relevant to Dunk's trial of seven.
Ser Arlan's demand that Dunk get up inspires him to again push through the pain to fight back against Prince Aerion. He may not be a great or experienced fighter, but damned if he isn't strong. Even after rising, Dunk takes several hits that could easily have killed him. Still, he manages to pay Aerion back with several brutal hits and a potential fatal slash across the upper thigh.
Dunk's assault against Aerion depletes all the energy he had mustered after falling unconscious, and despite having the prince on his knees, the hedge knight collapses, seemingly dead. The trial of seven was about to be called in Aerion's favor, but between Egg's screams and the disembodied voice of Ser Arlan telling Dunk to "get up," the knight is once again revived. Dunk uses his unbelievable strength to beat Arion to a pulp until the Targaryen prince finally yields and withdraws his accusation.
Prince Baelor Targaryen’s Tragic Death Explained
After Dunk's victory in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5, he is taken aside to have his wounds looked after by Pate and Raymun Fossoway. It's then that he learns that both Humfrey Beesbury and Humfrey Hardyng had been killed, but every other fighter in the trial of seven had survived—up to that point, anyway.
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Dive into the world of movies and TV shows with Screen Rant, your source for news, reviews, and exclusive content. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.Just after Dunk falls to his knees and swears himself Baelor's man, the prince asks Pate to remove his helmet, stating that he had taken a hit from his brother Maekar's mace and wanted to relieve the pressure of the dent. The armorer abliges with Raymun's help, but once the helmet is withdrawn, both men stare in horror at the back of Baelor's head. The dented helmet had been holding pressure on what we could now see was a severely crushed skull. Without it, Prince Baelor Targaryen, Hand of the King and heir to the Iron Throne, falls dead.
Earlier in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms episode 5, during the trial of seven, we see the exact moment that Maekar struck Baelor with his mace. The younger prince was desperate to reach Aerion and protect him from Dunk, but Baelor attempted to hold him back. It was then that Maekar's wildly swinging weapon made impact with Baelor's helmet.
There's one more episode left of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms season 1, and it's then that we will see the consequences of Baelor's death. It won't be lost on Dunk that the future king of Westeros died for the benefit of a poor hedge knight, nor will it be lost on Maekar that the tragedy was by his own hand. It's an event that is sure to shake the Seven Kingdoms. All we can do is wait for the finale to see the full implications.
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9.0/10
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-MA Drama Action Fantasy Adventure Release Date January 18, 2026 Network HBO Showrunner Ira Parker Directors Owen Harris Writers George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker
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Peter Claffey
Ser Duncan 'Dunk' the Tall
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Dexter Sol Ansell
Egg
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