The chronology of the Game of Thrones universe is a little complicated if you’ve only watched the shows. No, wait, it’s a little complicated even if you’ve read every word George R.R. Martin has ever written. And that’s a lot of words. But since Game of Thrones was the first of Martin’s books set in Westeros, that must be our starting point.
After came House of the Dragon, a prequel. And then came A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, technically another Game of Thrones prequel, but also a House of the Dragon sequel. (More or less?) The specifics of the timeline are not as important as understanding that, since Game of Thrones was released first, it contains certain mentions to events that are crucial for its two prequels, House of the Dragon and A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.
So yes, you could say Game of Thrones actually spoils A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (and yes, even House of the Dragon) in some big ways. Here’s where to find those mentions.
Maester Aemon Is Related To Egg
The first spoiler comes pretty early in the Game of Thrones run. In Season 1, Episode 9, “Baelor,” Jon has a conversation with Maester Aemon at the wall, one that ends with the maester revealing to Jon that he is Aemon Targaryen, the son of Maekar and indeed the brother of Aegon V Targaryen, who fans of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms have come to know as Egg.
Not just that, but Maester Aemon reveals that his father becomes king, and his brother succeeds him after Aemon refuses the throne to remain a maester. Considering Egg has not one older brother, but three, that’s a pretty big spoiler about the fate of Daeron and Aerion, who we’ve already met in this new Game of Thrones prequel. Can’t say we’re too sad about that, though.
One little thing worth pointing out? In the show, Maester Aemon says Egg’s son is Aerys, who they call the Mad King, but that’s actually a mistake made by the show. Oops. The Mad King Aerys is actually Egg’s grandson.
We get yet another mention of Egg by Maester Aemond in the scene where he dies. In his final moments, a delirious Aemon recalls his younger brother, murmuring, “Egg? Egg, I dreamed that I was old.” See, some members of the Targaryen family did love each other!
The White Book Has Four Pages Dedicated To Ser Duncan The Tall
Another big spoiler comes courtesy of Joffrey, who in Season 4, Episode 1 “Two Swords,” examines the White Book. Yes, the one that records the deeds of every member of the Kingsguard, which, spoiler, means Ser Duncan the Tall will one day be a member of the Kingsguard. Considering the big spoiler above about Egg becoming King Aegon V, that part shouldn’t be all that surprising.
“Four pages for Ser Duncan, must have been quite the man,” Joffrey says, mostly to mock Ser Jaime Lannister, aka his father. Family trees are a complicated thing in Westeros, what can we say? But this does establish that Ser Duncan will not just one day become part of the Kingsguard, but also one of the most renowned knights in the realm. Just like he dreamed of.
There’s yet another mention of Ser Duncan the Tall in Game of Thrones. After Jaime Lannister throws Bran Stark off that wall and the boy recovers at Winterfell, Old Nan asks if he would like to hear one of his favorite stories about Ser Duncan the Tall.
The Fate Of Aerion Targaryen
Maester Aemon already spoiled that Aerion Targaryen doesn’t make it to king, but how exactly does he die? Joffrey Baratheon, again, tells us his exact fate as he’s trying to impress Margaery Tyrell in Season3, Episode 4 “And Now His Watch Is Ended.”
In the episode, Joffrey points to a tomb and tells the story of Aerion, known as Aerion Brightflame, who drank wildfire believing it would transform him into a dragon. You can imagine how that went. We’ve already met Aerion in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms and, honestly, this tracks.
Lyonel Baratheon, Black Of Hair
Finally, we get a quick Lyonel Baratheon mention, for those who can’t get enough of this particular Baratheon. It comes in Game of Thrones Season 1, Episode 6 “A Golden Crown,” as Ned Stark reviews the Baratheon family tree, trying to figure out if Cersei’s kids are bastards (they are). He fixates on the Baratheon family history of having black hair and uses that to determine that Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen are not Robert Baratheon’s kids.
Somewhat faulty logic, all things considered, but he was right. So I guess we can give him that one, or not, considering it all led to his death? Maybe it would have been better for him and the Seven Kingdoms to stay out of this particular mess.
