The first season of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms ended on a heartbreaking note for fans of Prince Baelor Targaryen. The beloved heir to the Iron Throne, played by Bertie Carvel, died in Episode 5 during the brutal Trial of Seven. His death shook the realm and left young Egg, his nephew, without one of the few family members who showed him genuine kindness. Now, Dexter Sol Ansell, the 11-year-old actor who plays Egg, is opening up about how his character truly felt about Baelor and why that relationship meant so much before the seasonโs tragic turning point.
The HBO series, set about 100 years before Game of Thrones, follows the journey of Ser Duncan the Tall (Peter Claffey) and his wise-beyond-his-years squire, Egg. But Egg is no ordinary boy. His real name is Prince Aegon Targaryen, the youngest son of Prince Maekar (Sam Spruell). Throughout the season, Egg hides his identity while learning what it means to be a true knight from Dunk. However, his uncle Baelor knows exactly who he is. And according to Ansell, the way Egg looked at Baelor changed everything for the young prince.
A Different Kind of Targaryen
For Egg, growing up in the shadow of his father and older brothers was not easy. His brother Aerion (Finn Bennett) is cruel and violent. His father Maekar is stern and demanding. But Baelor was different. In an interview following the season finale, Dexter Sol Ansell shared his thoughts on the bond between Egg and his uncle.
โEgg sees Baelor as proof that his family can be good,โ Ansell explained. โHe grows up seeing Aerion be a monster and his father be so hard. Then he meets Baelor, and Baelor talks to him like a person, not just a kid. He smiles. He listens. For Egg, Baelor is the version of a Targaryen he wants to become.โ
That admiration becomes clear throughout the season. In Episode 3, after Dunk earns a spot in the tourney thanks to Baelorโs support, Egg watches his uncle with quiet respect. He does not say much, but his eyes follow Baelor around the tournament grounds. Ansell revealed that those small moments were intentional.
โI tried to show that Egg is always watching Baelor,โ the young actor said. โHe is studying him. Because Baelor is the only person in his family who is kind and also powerful. Egg wants to learn how to be both.โ
The Song That Connected Them
Episode 3 also featured Egg singing a bawdy song about the Battle of Redgrass Field, a key moment in Westerosi history where Baelor and Maekar fought together. The song calls Baelor โthe hammerโ and Maekar โthe anvil,โ referring to their military tactic that crushed the Blackfyre rebellion .
For Egg, singing that song was more than just entertainment. It was his way of celebrating his uncle without being obvious about who he really was. Ansell noted that the song allowed Egg to express pride in his family while still hiding behind the mask of a common squire.
โHe cannot say โthat is my uncle, the great prince,โโ Ansell said. โBut he can sing about the hammer and the anvil. He can watch people cheer for Baelor. That makes him happy. For a moment, he feels like he belongs to something good.โ
The Moment Everything Changed
The Trial of Seven in Episode 5 brought the season to its most violent point. Aerion, demanding a trial by combat after Dunk beat him for attacking the puppeteer Tanselle, chose the ancient and deadly trial of seven. Seven knights would fight seven knights. Dunk needed champions. And Baelor, despite fighting against his own brother Maekarโs side, chose to ride for the hedge knight.
Bertie Carvel previously explained why Baelor made that choice. โHe can see in the example of his brothers what Egg might become,โ Carvel told TV Insider. โHe has hope for that boy and wants to set a good exampleโ .
But the fight went horribly wrong. During the chaos, Maekar swung his mace at a foe, missed, and struck Baelor in the head instead. The prince fell. He never got back up.
For Egg, watching from the sidelines, that moment shattered something inside him.
Dexter Sol Ansell described filming that scene as one of the hardest of his career. โEgg is watching his hero die,โ he said. โAnd the person who kills his hero is his own father. Even though Maekar did not mean to do it, Egg sees it happen. He sees the blood. He sees Baelor fall. And he cannot do anything.โ
The Aftermath and a Dark Turn
The finale, Episode 6 titled โThe Morrow,โ showed the immediateๅๆ of Baelorโs death. The camp was quiet. People mourned. But for Egg, grief turned into something darker .
That night, Egg picked up a knife and crept into his brother Aerionโs tent. He stood over the sleeping prince, the brother who had tormented him for years, the brother whose lies caused the trial that killed Baelor. Egg raised the knife.
He was stopped only when Maekar appeared behind him, silently taking the blade away.
Ansell reflected on that chilling scene. โEgg loved Baelor more than almost anyone,โ he said. โAnd when Baelor dies, Egg loses the one person who made him feel like his family was not all bad. He blames Aerion. He blames his father a little too. He is so angry and so sad that he wants to hurt someone the way he is hurting.โ
The scene was a stark reminder that even the kindest boy can be pushed toward darkness by loss and pain.
Why Baelor Mattered to Eggโs Future
Fans of the broader Game of Thrones lore know that Egg eventually grows up to become King Aegon V. His reign is remembered as one focused on helping common people, a direct result of his years traveling with Dunk and seeing the real Westeros . But his later life also includes a desperate attempt to bring back dragons at Summerhall, a tragedy that reportedly kills him.
Dexter Sol Ansell accidentally revealed during a February interview that George R.R. Martin himself told the cast that Dunk survives the Summerhall fire, but Eggโs fate remains uncertain . That comment sent shockwaves through the fandom, suggesting the show may explore the Summerhall mystery in future seasons.
But for now, the focus remains on the bond Egg shared with Baelor. That relationship, though brief on screen, shaped how the young prince viewed leadership and kindness.
โBaelor shows Egg that you can be strong without being cruel,โ Ansell said. โEgg carries that with him. Even when Baelor is gone, Egg remembers him. He tries to be like him.โ
What Comes Next for Egg
With Season 2 already confirmed for an early 2027 release, the story will continue adapting the second Dunk and Egg novella, The Sworn Sword. The new season will see the pair traveling to confront Lady Rohanne Webber, the Red Widow, setting up new challenges and dangers .
But Baelorโs absence will linger. Egg must now navigate the world without his uncleโs protection or guidance. He must also deal with a father who, while grieving the accidental killing of his own brother, now knows his youngest son ran away against his wishes .
The finale revealed that Egg lied to Dunk, claiming his father gave permission for him to go. In truth, Maekar woke up to find his son gone. Egg chose freedom over the castle. He chose Dunk over his family. But he also chose to carry Baelorโs memory with him on the road.
Fans React to the Loss
Viewers took to social media after the finale to express their feelings about Baelorโs death and Eggโs grief. Many praised Dexter Sol Ansell for his performance, especially in the silent moments of mourning.
One fan wrote, โDexter Sol Ansell acted his heart out in those final scenes. You could see Egg falling apart inside while trying to stay strong.โ Another added, โBaelor was the heart of the Targaryens. Egg losing him explains so much about why Aegon V later becomes the king he is.โ
The emotional weight of Episode 6, combined with the shocking reveal that Egg lied to Dunk about his fatherโs permission, set up a season finale that left audiences eager for more .
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A Performance Beyond His Years
Throughout the press tour for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Dexter Sol Ansell has impressed critics with his thoughtful answers about Eggโs emotional journey. From shaving his head for the role to understanding the deep trauma his character carries, the young actor has shown a maturity that matches his on-screen counterpart.
In explaining Eggโs feelings for Baelor, Ansell summed it up simply. โEgg loves Baelor because Baelor loves him back without wanting anything. That is rare in his world. When Baelor dies, Egg loses the only person who made him feel safe. That changes him forever.โ
As the series moves toward Season 2, fans will watch to see how that change unfolds. But for now, the image of a young boy holding a knife over his brotherโs bed, tears in his eyes, remains one of the most powerful moments of the season. And at the center of it all is a boy who just wanted to be like his uncle Baelor.
All six episodes of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Season 1 are now streaming on HBO Max in the US, Sky Atlantic and NOW in the UK, Binge in Australia, and JioHotstar in India.
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