A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3 was the biggest one yet, as it delves into Egg’s (Dexter Sol Ansell) past. But there’s also a prophecy about his future, and it’s been described as “terrifying” by readers of George R.R. Martin’s books.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has been a welcome addition to the Game of Thrones cinematic universe thanks to its grounded approach to Martin’s lore-heavy fantasy world.
So far, it’s established the (sort of) friendship between Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his new squire Egg, who travel to Ashford to take part in a tourney. But their journey takes a more serious turn when the Targaryens make their way into town.
Episode 3, ‘The Squire’, culminates in a huge reveal about Egg’s background, completely reframing his role in the story. Warning: spoilers for the show and the books ahead!
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3’s “terrifying” Egg prophecy
The big twist is that Egg is actually Aegon V Targaryen. And it turns out that the fortune teller’s prophecy – that he shall be king and those who know him will “rejoice” in his death – is actually accurate to the books.
You see, in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3, Dunk and Egg come across a fortune teller in town. She first tells Dunk that he’ll find great success and will be richer than a Lannister.
It’s clear he doesn’t believe her, a funny reaction for the viewer who knows that she’s actually bang on the money. Then, she turns her attention to Egg. “You shall be king and die in a hot fire, and worms shall feed upon your ashes,” she says.
“And all who know you shall rejoice in your dying.” This terrifies Egg, but Dunk breaks the tension by laughing, assuming she’s completely off the mark.
But he soon finds out that it’s not beyond the realms of possibility, as Egg is actually Prince Aegon Targaryen, son of Maekar Targaryen (Sam Spruell) and grandson of King Daeron II Targaryen.
Plus, we know from the books that Egg will, in fact, become the fifth king of his name to sit on the Iron Throne and the 15th king of the Targaryen dynasty to rule the Seven Kingdoms.
And the fortune teller was right about his death too: he later perishes in a huge fire at the Targaryen summer home after attempting to hatch dragon eggs.
Fans have pointed out how scary the prophecy must have been for Egg to hear. “Wow that prophecy is terrifying,” wrote one on Reddit, while another said, “Yeah that was nuts.” A third added, “Yup, damn lady got morbid.”
One person questioned why it was included at this stage in the HBO series. “I’m a bit surprised they included that in there in the same episode they reveal he’s a Targaryen,” they said, but another pointed out, “It was great foreshadowing!”
Why fortune teller says “rejoice” about Aegon Targaryen’s death
One line from the fortune has non-readers confused: “all who know you shall rejoice in your dying”. Given Egg is, well, a good egg, it seems out of character that he would grow into a despised Targaryen.
But don’t fret, Egg doesn’t turn into a villain – it’s actually quite the opposite. As king, Aegon V becomes known for championing the smallfolk, pushing reforms that improve their lives and limit the power of the nobility.
Although this earns him loyalty from ordinary people, it makes him unpopular with many lords, who resent his attempts to curb their privileges.
In that context, the prophecy takes on a more political meaning: those who “rejoice” in Egg’s death are not the people he tried to protect, but the powerful figures whose authority he repeatedly challenged.
The question was raised in the Reddit discussion of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 3, with one asking, “Why did everyone hate him?”
Another replied, “He cared too much about the smallfolk and not about the big lords. If he had dragons, he could’ve pushed his reforms like Jahaerys, so instead he tried to marry his children into the great houses to form alliances.
“And then his children insulted the great houses by breaking off their betrothals and marrying each other (or Jenny of Old Stones, a random peasant). So the great lords were glad to see him die.”
Similarly, one Redditor asked, “Why will people be happy when Egg dies?” To which another explained, “So spoilers – the powers that be (aka nobles) did not want Aegon to be king.
“There was a high council meeting about it and he was voted to rule. But they didn’t want him as king due to him favoring the small folks’ needs.
“They thought he behaved like a commoner due to his years on the road. The nobleman rejoiced upon his death despite the fact he was one of the best kings in the realm.”
A third added to the conversation, “It’s in the history book but it’s highly speculated the summer hall fire was intentionally executed to kill him and his family. This is also how Ser Duncan perishes so it’s actually highly plausible that it was a coverup for murder.
“Nobles really wanted Aemon to be king but he was like NO! And took the black to avoid it at all costs. Kind of wild and really sad.”
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