A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms takes place decades before Game of Thrones, but that hasn't stopped the possibility of familiar faces returning. The latest Westeros-set HBO spin-off is a smaller-scale tale about a hedge knight, Dunk (Peter Claffey), and his squire, Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). The series serves as connective tissue between House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, and future episodes may cement that connection further with the return of a familiar character.
As was revealed in Episode 3 of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, Dunk's new squire is none other than the runaway prince, Aegon Targaryen (not the one from House of the Dragon or Game of Thrones). While most of the Targaryens in this time period will be unfamiliar to viewers, one main character from Game of Thrones is active during this period of Westerosi history: Aemon Targaryen.
Aemon was played by Peter Vaughan in the original series and was memorable for being the Maester at Castle Black and a mentor to Jon Snow among the Night's Watch. Aemon was an old man at the end of his days in Game of Thrones, but almost ninety years earlier, he was a young Targaryen prince in the line of succession for the throne.
Aemon hasn't been featured in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms yet (although his three brothers have), but the series's showrunner, Ira Parker, hasn't ruled out his return. During an AMA on Reddit, Parker was asked whether Aemon might appear in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms in the future. The showrunner confirmed that the character "almost" appeared in Season 1 of the show, and that it was "possible" he could still appear in Seasons 2 or 3.
"Possible. Almost happened. Then it didn’t. Maybe..."
A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms is based on George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg trilogy of novellas. Season 1 of the HBO show is based on the first novella, with planned second and third seasons intended to adapt the latter stories, meaning there is still plenty of time for Aemon to make an appearance.
How Could Aemon Fit Into A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms?
Aemon Targaryen's appearance in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms would be a significant way to tie together the events of the prequel series with its parent show. Maester Aemon is only a supporting character in Game of Thrones, but seeing more of him as a young man and his role in the Targaryen dynasty would offer fans an interesting insight.
Aemon has been referred to once already in A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, during a conversation between Raymun Fossoway and Dunk in Episode 3. Fossoway tells Dunk: "Daeron’s a sot. Aerion’s just vain and cruel. The third’s so useless, they were gonna ship him off to a citadel to make a maester of him." This "third" that Fossoway speaks of is Aemon, who is the younger son of Maekar Targaryen, situated between Daeron and Egg.
More importantly, Aemon has a crucial role to play in the line of succession that leads to Egg becoming King. Egg was the most unlikely candidate for the throne, being the fourth son of a fourth son. However, after Egg and Aemon's brothers, Aerion and Daeron, died of various causes, the line of succession pointed to Aemon, who decided to decline the throne in order to honor his vows as a Maester.
Aemon recounted abdicating the throne in Season 1 of Game of Thrones, telling Jon Snow (a secret relative unbeknownst to him at the time) about his Targaryen lineage and connection to the Mad King:
Aemon: "My father was Maekar, the First of His Name. My brother Aegon reigned after him when I had refused the throne. And he was followed by his son Aerys, whom they called the Mad King."
Egg's ascension to the throne and his relationship with Aemon are not covered in Martin's novellas (so far). However, Parker has shared his wild hopes to cover Egg's journey through all the years of his life, telling Esquire, "we’ll come back ten years after that and do Egg the adult."
Whether or not he gets his way, Parker still has the chance to expand on the lore of Martin's novellas in future seasons by adding Aemon as a character. Fans have already gotten to know the other Targaryens of the time; it would make sense to round out the family by bringing back Aemon, particularly as his abdication plays such a pivotal role in Egg's journey.
