The Season 1 finale of raises questions about its own premise. In the final moments, Egg corrects Dunk when he mentions “the Seven Kingdoms” — apparently, . But while that served as a last-minute twist, the “Knight” in Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has also remained uncertain.
Despite a show filled with flashbacks, we never witnessed Ser Arlan of Pennytree knighting his squire. A pivotal flashback scene appeared to confirm that Ser Arlan died without ever knighting his squire, but was this revelation truly the answer fans awaited, or merely another bait-and-switch?
Warning! Spoilers for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 ahead!
In A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 Episode 6, “The Morrow,” we witness some of Ser Arlan of Pennytree’s final moments with his squire, Dunk. Ser Arlan is clearly drifting in and out of consciousness while recounting the tale of how his hometown Pennytree got its name. Dunk suddenly asks, “Why did you never knight me? Did you think I’d leave you? I wouldn’t have. Or was it something else? Ser? Ser? Ser?”
Ser Arlan doesn’t answer, leading Dunk to believe he’s passed. However, he suddenly revives, stating, “And that’s why they call it the Pennytree. A true knight always finishes a story.”
claim this scene is the confirmation fans were waiting for about this mystery, but despite being a , I remain unconvinced. If Arlan is still alive at the end of the flashback, then there is still time for Ser Arlan to perform a knighting from his deathbed.
The show even emphasizes this in the flashback. In Episode 1, Dunk is seen burying Ser Arlan during a thunderstorm, and he later tells the Games Master that the only witness to his knighting was a songbird in a thorn tree because it was raining. But in this Episode 6 flashback, we hear thunder and see a storm rolling in, but crucially, it’s not raining yet. That means this scene is set before Dunk’s account of when he was knighted, moments before Arlan’s passing.
Of course, this doesn’t rule out the possibility that Dunk is lying, but it’s definitely not a confirmation of it. The books never confirmed Dunk’s knighthood, and that’s part of what makes them great: by never finding out whether or not Dunk is a real knight, it just highlights how a knight isn’t made by a few words, but by proving their honor and defending the innocent. Dunk may or may not have been formally inducted, but he definitely is a knight in the true sense of the word.
Maybe one day we’ll learn the truth — after all, a true knight always finishes a story — but so far, we’ve only seen implications, no real confirmation.