A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (TV series)

thumb|This man protected the innocent. As every true knight must. Let the gods decide if he was right or wrong. A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is an American fantasy drama airing on HBO that follows the adventures of Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg, set about 90 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Season 1 The Hedge Knight [1.01] Dunk: I don’t know the right words. Ought to be a septon here. You were a true knight. You never beat me when I didn’t deserve it. Except that time in Maidenpool. It was the inn boy ate the widow woman’s pie. Not me. I told you. Doesn’t matter now. I’d leave your sword, but it… it would only rust in the ground. [sobbing] I wish you didn’t die, ser. I’ll take good care of the horses. Dunk: How much farther to Ashford? Innkeeper: A day's ride. Has my boy seen to your horses, or has he run off again? Dunk: No, he's there. Innkeeper: Half the town's gone down to the Tourney. Mine would too if I allowed it. [scoffs] I swear I couldn't tell you why. Knights are built the same as other men. And I never knew a joust to change the price of eggs. Dunk: I'm a knight, I'll have you know. Egg: You don't look like a knight. Dunk: What, all knights look the same? Egg: No. But they don't look like you. Beony: Ser Manfred's napping. I'll wake him for a stag. Dunk: I don't have a stag. Beony: What kinda knight don't got a stag? Red: It's a hedge knight, ain't it. It's like a knight but...sadder. Dunk: I'm...I'm not sad... Red: Gotta sleep in the hedges cuz no lord'll have it. Beony: Aw, that is sad. And Ser Manfred's fucked its wife too. Dunk: I don't have a wife. Beony: Oh. Just we're used to husbands coming round. Red: Likes fucking wives, that one. Beony: Near as much as he likes fucking us. Red: Told me he's on a mission to turn the whole world red. Beony: Well, we're already red. Red: So we are. [laughs] Dunk: Why'd she say that? We're not sad. Least not "rising to the level of a comment" sad... Dunk: It is of some urgency that I speak with him. So that I might enter the lists tomorrow. Beony: What's this? Red: It means the joust. Beony: Awful dangerous, that. Dunk: Yes, well, I'm not troubled with a wealth of options, am I. And if I mean to take service in a castle... Red: It must put its body at hazard for the pleasure of strangers. Daisy: Ain't that our job? Beony: 'ere, shut up, you're meant to be dead. Find a safer trade, lad. You'll be happier for it. Red: One whore to another. Dunk: Must you mock me? I was only asking for a bit of help. I'll try Ser Manfred back in the morning. Red: Sorry, lad. We don't mean to mock you. We just see plenty of green boys every tourney. Beony: Always with glory in their minds but never in their hands. Dunkin: Well, perhaps I will be different. Red: Be good to your body, knight. Last one you're like to have. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: You ever been punched in the face before? Dunk: I...I beg pardon, Ser Lyonel? Ser Lyonel Baratheon: Big men get punched more than little men. Did you know that? Dunk: No, but I believe it. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: Is that why you slouch? So you don't get punched? Dunk: I don't slouch... Ser Lyonel Baratheon: You've been cowering all evening like a maiden on her wedding night. Dunk: I meant no disrespect Ser, honest. Where I grew up, you learn to go unnoticed, is all. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: The Seven Above gave you tallness. So be tall. Or I will name you a heretic and burn you. Drown you. Drop you off a tall...what do they do to heretics? Servant: Burn them, My Lord. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: Fine. What have you brought me? Dunk: Er...begging your pardon Ser, I didn't realize... Ser Lyonel Baratheon: You wish to curry my favor, yet you come with an empty hand? Lord Cafferen, that smug cunt over there in red, he is scarce to pay his rents. His people starve each winter. Yet even he shinied up this bauble [indicates the dagger he's been playing with] from his family's cellars. Because he understands that all men, in their way, wish only for your help or your head. Have you come for my head, then? Dunk: What? No! No. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: Then why the fuck are you in my tent? Dunk [hefts the pastry he's eating] Supper? [after a long pause, Sir Lyonel and his party start laughing] Ser Lyonel Baratheon: All right. That actually makes sense. What is your name, man? Dunk: Dunk. Ser Dunk. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: That's ridiculous. [smiles] Do you like dancing? Dunk: [smiles back] Doesn't everyone? Egg: A falling star brings luck to those who see it. Dunk: Go to sleep, boy. Egg: All the other knights are in their pavilions by now, staring up at silk instead of sky. Dunk: Do you want a clout in the ear? [pause] S-So, the luck is ours alone? Hard Salt Beef [1.02] Dunk: [about Arlan] You-you might not remember him, but, he was a true knight. Uh, different than other men. Yeah. He had a peaceable nature. Quiet and humble. A veteran of a hundred wars, but an enemy to none. He always knew what was expected of him. He never complained. Even as he was dying, he… he just… He just got on with it. Dunk: Do great knights live in the hedges and die by the side of a muddy road? I think not. Ser Arlan wasn't gifted with sword or lance. And he drank. And he whored. And he was a hard man to know. He had no friends either. He lived nigh on sixty years and never was a champion. So what chance do I have, truly? But he was good to me. I wasn't his family, but he kept me like we were. He raised me to be an honorable man. And all these noble lords can't even remember his name. His name was Ser Arlan of Pennytree. And I am his legacy. On the morrow, we will show them what his hand has wrought. The Squire [1.03] Egg: You're Ser Robyn Rhysling! You're the maddest knight in the Seven Kingdoms! Ser Robyn Rhysling: We are a vessel for the Warrior. When it is madness bid, it is madness delivered. Ser Robyn Rhysling: You're small for a squire. Egg: I serve Ser Duncan the Tall. He's large enough for the both of us. Ser Robyn: [scoffs] We've not heard of him. Egg: You will. Egg: Ser? Dunk: Mmhmm? Egg: Is it odd that I have black hair growing out of my stones? Dunk: It’s odd that you’re telling me. Plummer: Ser Duncan, I believe we are both men of honor, so I hope you understand that what I ask serves no private interest. Might it surprise you to learn that my Lord Ashford has richly overspent on his daughter's pageant? Dunk: It might not. Plummer: Well, with winter not so long past, and many of our flocks collapsed, hard times lay ahead. Unless we endeavor to reverse our fortunes. Dunk: [sighs] I don't have any money... Plummer: Shocking as that may be, I mean not to rob you, but to reward you. What do you know of Lord Ashford's youngest son, Ser Androw? Dunk: He's...he's a deft lance... Plummer: Indeed. But were a challenger to come forth and unhorse Ser Androw against all odds, the lucky few who backed such an unlikely winner would find their pockets full. [Offended, Dunk starts to leave] Plummer: Now, rest assured, I mean no disrespect. I ask only what you already intend. Drive your foe from his saddle and take your place on Champions Row. Dunk: I do not want a victory I have not earned! Plummer: Have you not earned it? Let Ser Androw take the fall, and you shall have his horse, arms, and armor as recompense for your role. A tidy sum for a young hedge knight who presently calls an alder tree home. Dunk: It's an elm. Plummer: An elm. I beg you, think on it. I shall seek your answer on the morrow. Perhaps the rains will hold til then. Dunk: My squire thinks Aerion meant to kill the horse. It's just hard to accept that knight might be so dishonorable, let alone a Prince. Raymun Fossoway: Why is that hard? They're incestuous aliens, Duncan. Blood Magickers and tyrants who've burned our lands, enslaved our people, dragged us into their wars without a mote of respect for our history or our customs! Every pale-haired brat they've saddled us with has been madder than the last! Gods know how! The only honorable thing a Targaryen can do for this Realm is to finish on his wife's tits. So aye, I think he meant to kill the fucking horse. Seven [1.04] Baelor: How good a knight are you? How skilled at arms? Dunk: Ser Arlan taught me sword and shield, and how to tilt at rings. Baelor: My brother Maekar returned to the castle a few hours ago. He found his son Daeron drunk at an inn a day's ride to the south. Dunk: I know it. Baelor: He told my brother that a huge robber knight made off with Aegon. I fear you have been cast as this robber knight, Ser. Dunk: He's lying. I left that inn four nights past. Prince Daeron did not pursue his brother's captor? Baelor: Seemingly not. Dunk: What of the girl? Baelor: By the time Aerion is done twisting the tale, it will be high treason. Dunk: Treason? By puppetry? Baelor: The Dragon is the sigil of the Royal House. To portray one being slain... Dunk: It was surely innocent! Baelor: Perhaps. But far from wise, even in peacetime. Aerion calls it "a veiled attack on House Targaryen, an incitement to revolt." Dunk: Do you believe that, Your Grace? Baelor: One truth is beyond dispute. You laid hands upon the Blood of the Dragon. Dunk: [rising from his chair, outraged] The girl's finger was snapped in half! Baelor: No matter the cause, it is never wise to strike a King's grandson. Dunk: Would you not have done the same? Baelor: I might have. But I am a Prince of the Realm, not a hedge knight. Dunk: Don't all knights make the same oath? To protect the innocent? Baelor: Aerion would like your head for what you did to him. He will not have it. But I cannot deny him a trial. And with Daeron's accusation that you kidnapped Egg, the court is unlikely to rule in your favor. Dunk: [grimly] And when I'm found guilty? Baelor: The last time a man struck the Royal Blood, it was decreed he should lose the offending hand. And you kicked him too, did you not? Dunk: I did. Baelor: You have another choice. Whether it is a better one or worse, I cannot say. And so I ask again, Ser Duncan the Tall, how good a knight are you, truly? Steffon Fossoway: I'm sure we can find five more good men who wish singers to make them immortal. I do not know what tragedy so oft follows after honorable men. But when I find myself without the answer, the answer is always, "more glory." Daeron Targaryen: I never asked to have my honor redeemed. Whoever has it can keep it as far as I'm concerned. Egg: Aerion thinks he's a dragon in human form. That's why he was so wroth at the puppet show. Daeron: Pity he wasn't born a Fossoway. Then he'd think himself an apple and we'd all be a deal safer. Daeron: We were Dragon Masters once. Hard to believe. Now they're all gone, and we remain. I don't care to die today. It may be that I've killed you with my lie. And if so, I'm sorry. I'm doomed to some kind of Hell, I know. Likely one without wine. Dunk: Sers, I am in your debt. Ser Humfrey Hardying: The debt is Aerion's. And we intend to collect. Dunk: I had heard your leg was broken. Ser Humfrey: You heard true. My leg is broken, I cannot walk. But so long as I can sit on a horse, I can fight. Ser Robyn Rhysling: Ser Robyn would rather die the King's faithful servant. But when the Crown goes against the Gods, Ser Robyn goes against the Crown. Ser Lyonel Baratheon: [smirking] I always knew you were trouble. Dunk: I cannot thank you enough. Nor Ser Steffon for bringing you. Ser Lyonel: Who the fuck is "Ser Stevron?" Your boy found me. Hasn't been a Trial of Seven for a hundred years! I wasn't about to miss a chance to bloody up the Kingsguard in their pretty white gowns! Steffon Fossoway: Raymun! My helm, if you please. Dunk: Ser Steffon. What of your friends? We only need one more to make our seven! Steffon Fossoway: I'm afraid you'll need two more. I fight with Prince Aerion and the accusers. Raymun Fossoway: No... you - you told Ser Duncan to rely on you. Steffon Fossoway: Well, our prince would not have made me a lord elsewise but for it thwarted Ser Duncan. Raymun Fossoway: [angrily] You traded your honor for a lordship? Steffon Fossoway: Cousin, I know great men who have traded their honor for far less. It was a bargain well struck. Fetch me my horse. Raymun Fossoway: Get him yourself. [Dunk is trying to find a seventh knight to fight for him in his trial by seven] Dunk: M’lords! I know none of you remember Ser Arlan of Pennytree. But I was his squire. We served many of you. Ate at your tables. Slept in your halls. He was a good man. And he taught me how to be a knight. Not just sword and lance, but honor. A knight defends the innocent. That’s-that’s all I did. I was not Ser Arlan’s blood, but I have followed his example. As your sons will follow yours. Who will stand and fight with me? [someone stands up, but is only making fun of Dunk] Dunk: [angrily] Has courage deserted the noble houses of Westeros? I will not believe it is so! Are there no true knights among you?! [Baelor rides up next to Dunk] Baelor: I will take Ser Duncan’s side. Maekar: Have you taken leave of your senses? This man attacked my son. Baelor: This man protected the innocent. As every true knight must. Let the gods decide if he was right or wrong. In the Name of the Mother [1.05] Ser Arlan of Pennytree: Get up. The Morrow [1.06] Lyonel: I fought for you! I - Hardyng, Beesbury, the fucking apple boy -- we fought for you. Your prince fought for you against men sworn to protect him. He risked nothing! And the gods don't favor a fraud. Dunk: Then why have they favored me? Lyonel: This is no favor. This -- this is mockery. There's a war coming. We could be a force, you and I. You'll consider it? Ser Raymun Fossoway: Steffon took my tent. Said I betrayed the family by abandoning him. Can you believe that? I'm left with little else. Dunk: I'm sorry, Raymun. Ser Raymun Fossoway: Don't be. He's just mad that he lost. First Trial of Seven in a hundred years, and Lord Steffon Fossoway got beat by his little cousin. [reveals his new Sigil, a green version of the Fossoway Apple] Besides, it's better to be an unripe green apple than a wormy red one. Dunk: It suits you. Maekar Targaryen: Some men will say I meant to kill my brother. The gods know it is a lie, but I will hear the whispers until the day I die. Ser Duncan the Tall: You swung the mace, m'lord, but it was for me Prince Baelor died. Maekar Targaryen: You will hear them whisper as well. The king is old. When he dies, each time a battle is lost or a crop fails, the fools will say "Baelor would not have let it happen, but the hedge knight killed him." Ser Duncan the Tall: If I had not fought, you would have had my hand and foot. I sat under the tree this morning, and I asked if I could have spared one. I mean, how could a foot be worth a Prince's life? Maekar Targaryen: And what answer does your tree give you? Ser Duncan the Tall: Every day at evenfall, Ser Arlan would say, "I wonder what the morrow will bring?" Mightn't it be that some morrow will come when I'll have need of that foot - when the Realm will have need of that foot - even more than a Prince's life? Maekar Targaryen: [bitterly] Not bloody likely. The Realm has as many hedge knights as hedges. Ser Duncan the Tall: Before your brother died, he said the Realm needed good men. Maekar Targaryen: What of it? Ser Duncan the Tall: I will take Egg to squire. But not at Summerhall. Maekar Targaryen: I thought you were done with Princes. Ser Duncan the Tall: Egg is no Prince. Not yet. Might be he's better served away from castles and servants and... Maekar Targaryen: His family? Ser Duncan the Tall: If you would consent, I would bring him on the road with me. He'll learn to squire as I did. We'll sleep in inns, stables. Now and again in the great hall of some landed knight or lesser lordling. Maybe under a tree when we must. Maekar Targaryen: I forbid him to live as a peasant! Aegon is Blood of the Dragon! He cannot sleep in ditches and eat hard salt beef! Ser Duncan the Tall: Daeron never slept in a ditch. And all the beef Aerion ever ate was thick and rare and bloody. Maekar Targaryen: [pleadingly] He's my last son. Arlan: A true knight always finishes a story. Cast Peter Claffey – Ser Duncan the Tall / Dunk Dexter Sol Ansell – Prince Aegon Targaryen / Egg Daniel Ings – Ser Lyonel Baratheon Shaun Thomas – Raymun Fossoway Tanzyn Crawford – Tanselle Danny Webb – Ser Arlan of Pennytree Henry Ashton – Prince Daeron Targaryen Daniel Monks – Ser Manfred Dondarrion Tom Vaughan-Lawlor – Plummer Carla Harrison-Hodge – Beony Rowan Robinson – Red Edward Ashley – Ser Steffon Fossoway Danny Collins – Ser Humfrey Beesbury Ross Anderson – Ser Humfrey Hardyng Finn Bennett – Prince Aerion Targaryen Bertie Carvel – Prince Baelor Targaryen Sam Spruell – Prince Maekar Targaryen Youssef Kerkour – Steely Pate Steve Wall – Lord Leo Tyrell External links 27497448