Hello everyone!
See, I was supposed to read this book, like, literal ages ago.
It was given to me as a gift by one of my best friends, but one thing led to another and, for some reason still unknown to me, I managed to misplace it.
I KNOW. Shame.
I found it again this week though, after being off-work for a bit and having the time to really clean some stuff, so I managed to unearth it, dust it off, and figure, why not?
It's reasonably short, in comparison to the author's other works, so it's a very quick read, and there's nothing too complicated about it.
I'm talking, of course, about GRRM, and his three-story collecting A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
I've done a bunch of Martin-themed posts over the years, particularly during the first show's hey-day, and I've covered the second one as well, but to be honest there's far too many links to just have them go on forever down at the bottom. If, however, you click on his name in this section, you'll be taken to a listing, which should give you a clue as to what all he's done.
And what he hasn't.
It's a shame, really, because reading his work, any work, reminds you just what a good writer he can be when he puts his mind to it, but he's been waffling about Winds of Winder for so long now that everyone and their mother are just like, eh, and move on with their lives doing other stuff.
So let's take a look at this collection that should have been titled, rather appropriately: All The Times Dunk and Future King Aegon V Didn't Die (Not for Lack of Trying).
Because, I kid you not, the three short stories are one disaster after another that they seem to fall head-first into.
The Hedge Knight is the introductory tale where we get to meet Dunk, who up until then has been a squire, but the knight he squired for has just died, so Dunk buries him and heads on over to the tournament they were supposed to attend without it. This wouldn't have even made a footnote in the annals of history if not for two key factors: Dunk mistakenly takes on the future Aegon V as his squire, thinking him to be a simple stable boy, and the tournament turns deadly for Prince Baelor Targaryen afterwards, an event every Westerosi historian remembers with tears.
Baelor was going to be a great king, everyone agrees with that; but he dies after participating in a trial-by-combat to save Dunk, who assaults Prince Aerion Targaryen, (defending the commonfolk in the process, by the way), and all the dreams of the realm die with him.
Still, at least Prince Maekar allows Egg to squire for Dunk, if nothing else.
The Sworn Sword is a thesis on who was right and who was wrong during the First Blackfyre Rebellion, as Dunk serves a liege-lord who fought during the uprising, but never asks for which king, the Red or the Black.
For context: when the king died, he legitimized all his bastards, and instead of giving Blackfyre, the ancestral sword of the Conqueror, to his heir Daeron, he bestows it on Daemon, who ends up waging war for the Iron Throne (unsuccessfully, but there's problems because of the old king's decision for years to come).
Instead, he's dealing with a border dispute between his lord and his neighbour, who he ends up being rather attracted to (she's a pretty one, after all), but which ends with a duel to the death; Dunk kills the other champion, and nearly dies for his efforts, but in the end the two disputing sides shake hands, the lord and lady marry, and all's well that ends well!
If only they'd figured this out BEFORE having their champions fight, seriously.
But Dunk learns a valuable lesson in that, each warring side of the rebellion had noble and honourable knights, good men, who believed in their cause so fiercely they would have died for it.
Moral of the story though: just ... don't.
The Mystery Knight is the final of the short stories (for now, although nobody reasonably believes Martin will ever finish the rest, supposedly there should be twelve of them) during which Dunk and Egg are at a tournament - again.. This time in honour of the bride and groom, a wedding between House Butterwell and House Frey, which turns out to be a cover-up for a meeting between Blackfyre supporters.
Naturally, it'll be another Problem with a capital P that Dunk lands himself in.
They're somehow caught up in the Second Blackfyre Rebellion (which doesn't even take off, not really), managing to keep not just their wits about them, but their heads on their shoulders, too. They're on their way North to Winterfell after that though, so GODS know what in the seven hells they're going to find along the road.
BUT to conclude, these stories all take place WELL before the fall of House Targaryen, but not as far back as House of the Dragon, because Aegon happens to be Rhaegar's great-grandfather. I'll admit though, with all the names being thrown about, and because you can't swing a cat without hitting an Aegon on the family tree, I kept getting confused as to the timeline, ESPECIALLY as the king during the Blackfyre rebellions ALSO happens to be ... Aerys.
Just the first one, not the second.
Anyway, these stories are definitely worth a read. Dunk is a very relatable character, although reading Martin now as an adult versus when I was binging A Song of Ice and Fire, I can see how his writing isn't always the best, and is, in fact, often times problematic - but he makes up for it with the hilarity that is Dunk just, trying to make his way through life.
And if you pay close attention to the final prophecy he gets from the second pretender, you'll know it paints him in all-white: Kingsguard White, because what we DO know is that he goes on to serve with a white cloak, even as Lord Commander.
Which says a lot about his character, ESPECIALLY because Aegon's firstborn son is also conveniently named Duncan, rather than a more well-known family name.
Give these short stories a go, yes? You'll see they're a whole lot of fun, particularly because Dunk can never see the trouble he's riding into, which makes it funnier. Just another ordinary day for an ordinary hedge knight ... oh wait.
HAH.
Definitely recommend.
xx
*image not mine
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