Did A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS Reveal The Truth About a Targaryen Tragedy?

Be warned: this article reveals significant spoilers for episode 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and important plot points about the future of the character Egg. If you’d prefer to avoid spoilers, check out our recap of episode 2 instead.

Honestly, that line just chills me to the bone every time I hear it. It’s this incredibly poetic, yet brutally honest prophecy – someone’s destined for greatness, to become king, but it’s all leading to a really gruesome end. And the kicker? Everyone around them will celebrate when it happens. It’s a fantastic bit of foreshadowing, and just a really striking, dark image. It’s not just about death, it’s about the complicated legacy someone might leave behind.

George R.R. Martin is right – prophecies are often unreliable, especially in the complex world of Game of Thrones. Throughout Westeros, characters frequently misread signs and predictions, leading to more harm than good, as seen with Melisandre and Stannis. However, in the third episode of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, we heard a prophecy that we know will happen. Considering the tragic fate awaiting Egg, the show may have just hinted at the true cause of his death – it might not be an accident, but something far more deliberate.

The idea that a humble knight would become incredibly wealthy – richer even than the powerful Lannisters – sounds like the kind of exaggerated prediction a fortune-teller at a tournament would make to earn some money. That’s how Ser Duncan initially dismissed his short conversation with the mysterious woman. However, he might have taken the prediction more seriously, especially considering his young squire Egg’s fear, if he’d known Egg’s true identity. Predicting a child will become king is one thing, but telling a secret Targaryen prince his future is quite another. And it’s a completely different matter to tell a prince that everyone who knows him will rejoice at his fiery death.

This outcome is certain to happen. The prophecy is completely accurate: Egg will indeed become King, but he will eventually die in a fiery blaze. Surprisingly, many will rejoice at his death. Let’s explore how this A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms prophecy unfolds in the books and what it reveals about Egg’s eventual fate.

Egg Will Become King of Westeros in the World of Game of Thrones

A fortune-teller predicts that Egg, a seemingly unlikely candidate, will one day become king of Westeros, earning him the name Aegon the Unlikely. Born as the fourth son of a fourth son, his path to the Iron Throne is unexpected. His father, Maekar, is quite far down the line of succession, having three older brothers, two of whom also have sons. At the Tourney of Ashford, young Aegon’s claim to the throne appears even more distant.

Explaining exactly how and why Aegon might become king would reveal major spoilers, and some of those details are best left unsaid for now. However, even if Aegon does end up on the Iron Throne, it won’t be a happy occasion for most of the lords in Westeros.

Egg Is the Nobility’s Reluctant Choice to Be King

The nobles of Westeros won’t want Aegon as their king. They’ll see him as common, considering he grew up traveling the land as a simple squire to a relatively unknown knight. That’s hardly a fitting upbringing for a prince, let alone someone meant to rule and protect the realm. This leads us to understanding the fortune teller’s ominous words to young Aegon, as recounted in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: “And all who know you shall rejoice in your dying.”

I’ve heard the lords of Westeros were terrified of choosing Aegon, nicknamed Egg, as their king. They were so worried about it, they actually secretly offered the throne to his older brother, Aemon! It’s strange because Aemon shouldn’t even have been considered – he was older than Egg and, at the time, a sworn Maester of the Citadel. Offering him the crown meant asking him to break his sacred vows. Years later, the wise old man I remember from the Night’s Watch actually told Jon Snow about refusing that chance to be king. And it’s heartbreaking to think that on his deathbed, he still called out for his brother, Egg.

If Aemon declines the offer, there won’t be any other sensible option for king. The lords of Westeros will reluctantly accept Egg as their ruler, which will likely cause significant resentment from those who opposed his ascension.

Egg’s Own Children Will Also Defy Him

Growing up among common people as Ser Duncan’s squire will shape Aegon the Unlikely into a very different kind of Targaryen ruler. He plans to create policies that help those of lower social standing, even if it means upsetting the nobility. Predictably, Westeros’s powerful families won’t be pleased and will likely oppose him. However, Egg won’t just face resistance from lords; he’ll also encounter opposition from within his own family.

So, Aegon the Unlikely is going to try and solve things the way they used to – by arranging marriages for his kids to powerful families. It reminds me of his grandfather, Daeron II, who actually managed to bring Dorne into the Seven Kingdoms by marrying a Martell princess! But honestly, even though it seems like a good plan, Aegon becoming king so unexpectedly is actually going to cause a lot of problems for him in the long run.

Because Egg isn’t expected to rule, he’s free to marry for love, not political gain. He’ll also reject his family’s practice of marrying siblings. While this seems idyllic, his children will eventually resent his marriage and rebel against any arranged betrothals, choosing love instead – even if it means marrying each other. These public rejections of carefully planned alliances, designed to strengthen Egg’s position, will create new political difficulties, undermine his power, and ultimately destroy his ambitions.

Even the Small Folk Will Turn Against Egg (And That’s Pretty Much Everyone as the Prophecy Predicts)

Despite wanting to support those most in need, Egg will eventually be forced to roll back some of the rights and freedoms he’s given to common people. He’ll feel he has no other option.

It’s easy to see how this will affect common people. Their King – the one who understood their lives, shared meals with them, and knew their hardships better than any noble – is taking away their hope for a better future. And he’s doing it to benefit lords and ladies who despise him. Despite all this, Egg will still try to offer his assistance.

Egg’s Death Is Indeed a Fiery One, But Little Is Known About Its Circumstances

Even though it’s clear that both nobles and commoners will come to despise Egg, the fortune-teller’s warning suggests something more than just dislike. It hints at genuine hatred, the kind that might explain why the prophecy says he’ll die “in a hot fire”—the final part of the prediction we need to consider.

Despite warnings from others, Egg will become convinced there’s only one solution to his problems. Unable to gain the support of Westeros’s powerful lords – and without alliances through marriage – he’ll focus on obtaining power through a different means. Egg will dedicate years to finding ancient texts and knowledge, hoping to successfully hatch dragon eggs.

His actions will lead him and those he cares about, including Dunk, back to his childhood home, Summerhall—a once-grand Targaryen castle. Fifty years after hearing a prophecy at the Tourney of Ashford (an event staged for dramatic effect), he will meet his end in a devastating fire, just as the fortune-teller predicted. This night will be a turning point for the entire realm, becoming one of the most significant events in George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series.

The Last Part of A Knight of the Seven Kingdom‘s Prophecy Hints The Egg’s Death May Have Been Murder

The exact circumstances surrounding Egg’s death remain a mystery. Those who lived through it rarely talk about what happened, and the surviving records are fragmented. History suggests a devastating fire, possibly caused by powerful magic users and wild magic, claimed the lives of Egg, Dunk, and many others.

The intense prophecy given by the fortune-teller in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms hints at a deeper issue. We already knew Egg wouldn’t be well-liked, but this scene reveals the problem is much bigger – the entire kingdom will come to despise him. This leads to the possibility that the Tragedy of Summerhall wasn’t a simple accident, but a deliberate act of sabotage.

If people who know you would celebrate your death, it’s likely they played a role in it. History shows this happened often with Targaryen kings, who frequently died under suspicious circumstances. It’s easy to imagine someone deeply disliked by everyone, especially while attempting something as ambitious as reviving dragons, meeting an untimely end.

And it becomes even more likely when you consider another strong possibility: that the maesters deliberately wiped out dragons a hundred years ago and actively worked to prevent their return. These maesters are essentially scientists who believe in controlling the world through understanding and knowledge, and dragons represent unpredictable, dangerous magic – the very kind of power Aegon was trying to restore.

For years, people have speculated that the fire at Summerhall wasn’t a tragic accident, but a deliberate attempt to kill King Aegon, known as Egg. Recent revelations from the fortune-teller in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms make that possibility seem even more likely. However, this new prophecy may actually be rooted in an even more ancient prediction.

One Way or Another, Egg’s Tragedy Is Tied Up in Prophecy

Even if Egg died in a reckless accident instead of being murdered, it could still be the event that fulfills the prophecy from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

The eldest son of King Aegon will choose love over power and give up his right to the Iron Throne. His wife, Jenny of Oldstones – the woman from the famous song – will bring a mysterious friend to court. This woman, rumored to be a witch, will share a prophecy with the Targaryen family. She’ll predict that the savior who will save the world will be a descendant of Aegon’s grandchildren. One of those grandchildren is Aerys, who will eventually become the Mad King and the last Targaryen king. Aerys’s oldest son will be Rhaegar Targaryen, and he will be the father of Jon Snow.

Adding to the clear links between these tales, Rhaegar will be born during the disastrous fire at Summerhall. He will survive the blaze that kills Dunk and Egg. And the anticipation of his birth may be why Aegon the Unlikely was so determined to hatch dragon eggs.

The show House of the Dragon explained how Aegon the Conqueror first decided to invade Westeros. The Targaryen family had fled the destruction of Valyria after receiving a prophetic dream, and for a hundred years, they lived peacefully on Dragonstone as the last dragon riders. However, one Targaryen eventually felt compelled to conquer the entire continent. Aegon’s motivation stemmed from his own dream, which foretold the return of the White Walkers. He began his conquest because of this prophecy, a story that was passed down to every Targaryen heir—at least until Rhaenyra shared it with her son, Jace.

If Egg had heard the prophecy about ice and fire – and his powerful uncle Bloodraven, the Three-Eyed Raven, made it likely even if his father hadn’t – it could have led him to his death at Summerhall. He was eager to gain power and help the common people, but he might have recklessly ignored warnings because he believed dragons were essential for the future. He likely thought his grandson would one day need them to defend against a coming ice age, and that they’d need time to grow strong before the White Walkers arrived.

If Egg’s reason for being at Summerhall that night was truly what people suspect, it would make the circumstances surrounding his death even more tragic.

The fortune-teller at Ashford predicted that Egg, a well-meaning king, would die in a fire despite his best efforts – a fate he couldn’t prevent. His death will be met with celebration, though he only ever intended to fulfill his duty and protect the Realm, doing so in ways no one realized, against a hidden enemy.

A prophecy from A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms hints that someone was murdered, and that the fire at Summerhall wasn’t just a tragic accident. Disturbingly, it suggests that even with good intentions, they may have accidentally killed Egg while he was trying to prevent a larger disaster.

Mikey Walsh writes for TopMob and is eager to discuss Ser Duncan’s part in the events at Summerhall. You can find him on Bluesky at @burgermike, and wherever people are debating the best Targaryen kings.

2026-02-03 23:08