The first episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms introduced viewers to the two main characters in the George R.R. Martin adaptation, Peter Claffey’s Ser Duncan the Tall and Dexter Sol Ansell’s Egg. However, the latter harbors a significant secret that serves as an important narrative cornerstone in the story. This secret is also the reason Egg runs away from his home.
Here’s why Egg runs away in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
In the premiere episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, viewers are introduced to Ser Duncan the Tall. The knight encounters Egg at an inn while traveling to Ashford Meadows. He learns that Egg has run away from home and followed Duncan to Ashford Meadows so that he could squire for him.
Egg suggested in the first episode that he was from King’s Landing and made it clear that he was not part of Flea Bottom, the slums of the city. However, the episode did not clarify what Egg was hiding.
If the series follows George R.R. Martin’s source material, the answer may already be known to readers of the novella.
In the novels, particularly The Hedge Knight, Egg is part of a noble and royal family. He is revealed to be a Targaryen. Egg does not want his royal status, which is reflected in his behavior during the early episodes. He appears to deliberately distance himself from royalty and instead chooses to stay with Duncan, a hedge knight.
In the source material, Egg is a Targaryen who is far down the line of succession. As a result, he chooses freedom and runs away from home. Staying with Duncan offers safety, as Duncan has no ties to the royal family. This is also why Duncan is unlikely to suspect that Egg belongs to a royal lineage.
The upcoming episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms will reveal whether the show plans to follow the novella’s storyline closely.
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Episode 2 is now streaming on Max.